All in the Head
by HandsomeAngel
Summary: So what would you do if you – a Ghost Hunt fan – found out that your school had hired ghost hunters to deal with some freaky ghostie thing and then you go in to talk to them, only to find out it's the SPR?
1. Chapter 1

**(PLEASE READ AUTHOR'S NOTE – MESSAGE TO ALL READERS!)**

**Story:** **All in the Head**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Ghost Hunt . . . . unless Lady Luck agrees to be on my side. **

**Author's Note:**** This fanfic is a special dedication to HoneyBearChibiPandaSmexBree and Aktaiy. Also, I would like to thank crazylittlecheezer. She has always been reading my stories and giving my encouragement. Now that I have talked to her a bit through reviews etc, I feel like I have taken her for granted. She doesn't have to review, yet she does. All of you are the same. I haven't replied to each review, but each one boosts my determination to write. Yet I haven't acknowledged that. Thank you for all you have written, read and so much more. Even when I get one bad review, my mood plummets. Yet then, I see what others have written and I feel like I'm still doing well. Though I can take the advice, the support everyone gives me strengthens my courage to write so much. I would have never been able to continue with my writing without **_**all **_**of you. Thank you for everything. I will always be grateful. and have a good day.**

**P.S: This story is especially being written because it is November, which is International Writers' Month. So everyone else, get your brains working and start writing~ Onegai~ *adorable puppy face with cute voice that makes all the girls go 'Aww~'* (You can't beat that face. :P)**

Chapter 1

"Naru, why'd you have to book a flight this early?" Mai complained.

"Because we don't have time to spare," Naru looked up from his notes briefly to glare at her, "We're already behind schedule because you couldn't wake up on time."

Mai crossed her arms stubbornly, "Well, what did you expect? Unlike some people, I need my sleep. I'm not a machine, you know!"

He turned back to his notes. "That's debatable. You do have some similarities."

"Huh? What similarities?" Mai paused, "_Wait. Do I really want to hear what he has to say?_"

It was too late. "Both of you lack brains."

"What did you just say? !" Mai was furious.

However, Naru wasn't done yet, "But machines are at least useful for something, unlike you." Then he walked off, pretending not to hear a livid Mai screaming his name.

"_Why do I bother?_" Mai groaned as she sat back down, "_Honestly, I was looking forward to a case in America, but who knew it would lead to this . . ._"

_Flashback_

"_Um, excuse me?" A timid voice interrupted Mai's thoughts._

"_Oh, are you here for a consultation?" Mai stood up to welcome a woman who looked about 50 years old or so and was a few inches taller than her. The newcomer was clearly a foreigner with orange hair streaked with white locks, giving her a mature responsible look. But what really gave away her foreigner status were the striking green eyes. They seemed to glow in the dim light of the office, piercing into you as though examining your spirit. Mai could tell that despite her voice sounding timid, this woman was as strong as they come. _

"_Yes, I am," the woman gave a kind smile to Mai, "I already spoke with Shibuya-san over the phone. My name is Mrs Renda Thomas."_

_Mai was slightly surprised that the woman could speak in fluent Japanese, but brushed off the thought, "I'll go get him."_

_Mrs Thomas smiled, "Thank you. And your name is?"_

_Mai returned the smile, "Taniyama Mai, but call me Mai. Please have a seat. I'll be back in a minute." Mrs Thomas nodded and followed Mai's instructions as the young girl went into Naru's office to tell him of the new arrival, right after telling Lin about the client, "Naru, someone named Renda Thomas came in to talk to you. She said she had already talked to you over the phone."_

_Naru nodded, "Tell her I'll be there soon. Make some tea."_

_Mai nodded, knowing better than to throw a fit when a client was there. She went out of the room and smiled at the woman, "He'll be here in a minute. Can I get you so tea?"_

_Mrs Thomas nodded gratefully, "Yes, thank you, dear. Tea would be wonderful."_

_Mai could feel warmth at the woman's words. Being an orphan, she couldn't help but feel happy at the grandmotherly feel the woman gave her. "It's no problem," Mai told the woman cheerfully before going into the kitchen to make some tea. When she had come out, Lin and Naru were already there. Mai set down the tea in front of everyone. Lin nodded his thanks while Naru just ignored her as usual._

_However, Mrs Thomas touched the girl's arm gently, "Thank you, child."_

_Mai blinked in surprise before smiling with all the warmth within her arising, "No, thank you." Lin and Naru were taken back. Never had they seen her smile like that._

_Mrs Thomas' eyes softened at the sight of the smile and patted the seat beside her, "Come, why don't you sit down beside me?" Mai nodded happily and plopped down beside the woman, who stroked the girl's hair gently, "What an interesting girl you are, little one."_

_Naru cleared his throat, "So let's get down to business." Mrs Thomas turned her attention to the boy before her. "You vaguely explained that there was something supernatural happening at your school, but you said that you preferred to speak about in more detail in person."_

"_Yes," Mrs Thomas nodded, "For the past 6 months or so, there has been a gruesome head appearing before the students of the school. It chooses a target and torments the person. As the tormenting goes on, the person seems to get weaker, as though this head is draining them of energy. This theory seems to be proven by the fact that according to the people who have been targeted, the head seems to get more substantial each time it moves on to its next victim."_

"_What prompts the head to move on to its next targets?"_

"_Well, when the people who have been targeted become completely ill and frail, they usually stop coming to school and the head moves on. But one student kept coming and the only reason the target has been switched now is because she has fallen into a coma. Before this I had been trying to convince the board that we needed to find some paranormal investigators, but those knuckleheads refused to listen. So when the student fell into a coma, I forced them to agree."_

_Mai looked at Mrs Thomas puzzled, "You forced them?"_

_Mrs Thomas just smirked, her green eyes glinting wickedly, "Sometimes one must use . . . _other_ skills to convince people." Mai laughed nervously at the evil look on the woman's face._

"_Excuse me," Naru brought their attention back to the matter at hand, "But do the targets have anything in common?"_

"_Well, they are all girls, but I do believe there is another connection," Mrs Thomas spoke thoughtfully, "All the girls who have been targeted have relatively dark hair and dark eyes."_

"_Has any of the staff been targeted?" _

"_No, they haven't," Mrs Thomas shook her head._

"_Wait," Mai frowned puzzled, "If this school is in Japan, wouldn't most of the students have dark hair and eyes?"_

"_This school isn't in Japan," Naru sighed exasperated, "It's in the US." _

"_Eh? EHH?" Mai's jaw dropped. _

_Naru looked at her with annoyance, "Please compose yourself at least in front of a client."_

_Mai's eye twitched, "Naru . . ." Her whisper was threatening to bring about a storm._

_However, Mrs Thomas was laughing, "Mai-chan, you are so cute." Mai blushed and looked down, stuttering denials._

"_Mrs Thomas," Lin spoke for the first time. The woman turned to him to signify that she was listening. "Why did you choose to come to all the way to Japan for a paranormal investigation team? I know for a fact that there are some in America."_

"_She told me you would ask that," Mrs Thomas murmured to herself with a chuckle before looking at them again, "You see, a friend of mine recommended you. I believe you are acquainted with Mori Madoka." Naru and Lin sighed in unison while Mai laughed at their reaction. Mrs Thomas looked amused by their reactions._

"_We will take your case," Naru turned his attention back to the client, "We will need a room as a base as well as rooms for 3 girls and 5 boys to stay in."_

_Mrs Thomas looked thoughtful before responding, "We have two rooms that are beside each other, but both of them are made for 6 people so you'll have extra beds. Is that okay?"_

_Naru nodded, "That's fine. We will meet you next Monday at the Airport. Could you prepare for a van to pick us and our equipment?" _

_Mrs Thomas nodded, "Yes, I'll be able to do that, but I'll have to go now in order to get everything ready. My flight is later today so I must hurry."_

"_We'll see you next week then," Naru turned to Mai, "Show Mrs Thomas to the door."_

"No 'please' as usual,_" Mai didn't voice her thoughts aloud, knowing that despite Mrs Thomas had already become like a grandmother to her, she shouldn't yell at her boss during a consultation. She stood up, muttering a displeased answer, "Yes."_

_But Mrs Thomas waved it off. "Don't worry about that. I can find my way to a door." Naru and Lin nodded and left for their offices, leaving the two women by themselves. Mrs Thomas smiled at Mai as she stood up as well, "It was good to meet you, Mai-chan. I'll be happy to see you next week." _

"_Good-bye, Mrs Thomas," Mai smiled back at the woman._

"_Call me Oba-san please," Mrs Thomas waved it off, "I don't have my own children or grandchildren and you seem to be taking the place of one rather quickly, little one."_

_Mai was taken back by the woman's words, but she was quickly overwhelmed with joy. "Yes, Oba-san!"_

_With a chuckle, Mrs Thomas gently stroked the girl's head once more with a gentle smile before turning away with a final farewell._

_Mai touched her hair where the woman had just stroked her hair, "_It feels so warm._" She smiled with warmth. She was definitely going to look forward to working on the case next week._

_End Flashback_

Mai sighed in reminiscence, smiling to herself. The others were meeting them there so only Lin and Naru were with her at the moment. Despite the annoyance the silence gave her usually, at the moment she was quite content with her thoughts. It was peaceful . . . so peaceful . . .

"Mai!"

Mai snapped out of her daze, realizing she had been drifting off to sleep as she turned to Naru, who was standing in front of her with a glare. "Naru? What is it?"

"It's time for our flight."

"Oh!" Mai scrambled to get everything and rushed after Naru, who had already started walking. She glowered at the boy, "You could have waited for me, you know!"

"I should have and would have," Naru said monotonously, surprising Mai with his words. But he wasn't finished, "But the person I was waiting for was an idiot so I couldn't be bothered." It took a few seconds for Mai to get past what he first said onto the second part.

"Naru! You jerk!"

**This is my first chapter of 'All in the Head'~ Oh my, I'm writing my story for the International Writers' Month~ :P Thank you for reading and I apologize for the lack updates that are going to be happening. I have a lot to do. Maybe if I use my cute points, I'll be let off the hook. *blinks innocently with cute voice that makes all the girls go 'Aww~'* ;P**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Naru, are you even human? How can you not have jet lag?" Mai stared at the boy tiredly.

"You slept the entire way here, Mai," Naru stood up straight again after bending over to shake Mai awake, "You shouldn't have jet lag."

"You've got to be kidding me," Mai groaned as she reluctantly sat up. After seeing that she wasn't going to go to sleep again, Naru walked off, "When you get out, bring the equipment to Lecture Room C. Try to hurry. The students will be coming soon."

Mai sighed, too exhausted to mutter insults about her narcissist boss as she trudged over to the back of the van. They had just reached the school. Mai had slept during the entire plane ride and the ride from the airport to the school, however she was still tired. She checked her watch, which she had set to the Eastern Time, "_5:30 . . . Who gets up at this time?_" She picked up a monitor, noting that Lin had already taken most of the equipment before walking into the school, marvelling at the differences between schools in America and schools in Japan. She was so glad that she had taken those extra English classes, even if it was just to shut Naru up about her apparent stupidity. She still had some trouble, but it was enough to keep Naru from insulting her more. She looked ahead of her to see the room that she was looking for, "Oi, Naru! Open the door!"

Naru opened the door to glare at her, "Are you trying to be loud enough to make the dead rise?"

Mai returned the glare, "Well, I wouldn't have to if you had kept the door open. For someone who is supposed to be a genius, you act like an idiot."

"For someone who is supposed to be an idiot, you act the part rather well," Naru stood aside so she could walk in.

"And what do you mean by that?" Mai glowered at him, refusing to move until he answered her.

Naru sighed as he realized she wasn't going to move and positioned the door stopper with his foot before walking off, "I mean that if you had used your brain, you would have realized that there is more than one way to tell us that you are outside the door, excluding screaming like a maniac. However, as a proven idiot, I shouldn't have expected that."

"Excuse me?" Mai was trembling with fury.

"If you drop that, Mai, it's coming out of your pay."

In answer, Mai stormed into the room and placed the monitor on the table with an echoing _THUMP_ before spinning around to glare at Naru as if daring him to complain. Naru simply smirked and turned to his notes, clearly sending the message that he wasn't listening anymore, which just pissed Mai off even more. But before she could speak, a gentle voice entered the room.

"Hello, everyone."

"John, I didn't know you were already here," Mai forgot about her anger when she turned to see John, walking over to him

"Yes, I had come to America to take care of a sick relative," John nodded, following her as she walked back to the van for more equipment, "Luckily, she's fine now so I can help with the case."

"Even so," Mai yawned, covering her mouth, "How can you be so cheerful so early in the morning?"

John chuckled, "I'm used to waking up early. After all, I have to often visit the church to take care of people."

"You are dedicated," Mai marvelled. John shook his head, denying it. Mai just laughed at his reaction before yawning again.

"You are really tired. Why don't you get some rest while Lin and I get the rest of the equipment?" John suggested.

Mai smiled ruefully, "As much as I would love to take you up on that offer, I can't. Naru would kill me. And I'm not sure if I mean that literally or figuratively." John laughed nervously, choosing not to respond as they amiably talked about what had happened in their lives so far. In a few quick trips, all the equipment had been moved to the new base. Naru told them that they would wait until the others arrived in a few hours to set up the cameras. John took out a book and began to read. Mai on the other hand sat down on the couch and quickly fell asleep, briefly pondering what she would dream about.

xxxxxxxxxxx

_Mai opened her eyes to see darkness around her. She sighed. Whenever these dreams came at the beginning of a case, it meant that it would not be easy – not easy at all._

"_Mai."_

"_Gene," Mai welcomed the voice that pierced through the darkness as the boy walked towards her. She ran forward to meet the smiling boy who had become like a brother to her._

"_It's dangerous here," Gene's eyes were filled with worry._

"_When isn't it?" Mai retorted with a carefree grin. However in her mind, she felt anxious as well. Gene normally took a few moments to joke around with her, but this time he had gotten right to business. This case was definitely not one to be taken for granted._

_However Gene picked up on her true emotions, which shone in her eyes, "Mai, you can't hide your emotions that easily – not around me. You feel uneasy too, don't you. You felt something when you came in here, didn't you." It wasn't a question, but a statement. Mai froze, recalling the shivers that had run down her spine from the moment she entered the school. She thought she had hidden her emotions well, but clearly Gene had been able to see through it. Gene chuckled, "Mai, what do you think I'm doing here all by myself? Playing cards? I watch over you and that idiot scientist who is apparently my brother. After such a long time of almost always being with you, I think I could figure it out."_

"_I really hope you're not always with me . . ." Mai muttered under her breath._

_Gene grinned at what she was implying, "Who knows?"_

_Mai blushed, "Gene!"_

_Gene just laughed before turning solemn once again, "But Mai, this is probably one of the most dangerous cases you'll face. I don't know if it's good for you to be here."_

"_But you do know that I won't leave," Mai looked at him sternly._

_Gene chuckled to himself, "I would have figured. But be careful and listen to what Naru says – he only says it cause he cares."_

_Mai saluted playfully, "Yes, sir. I'll be on my best behaviour."_

_Gene groaned, "You are _definitely _not taking this seriously enough . . ." _

_Mai laughed and patted his back, "Don't worry about it. I always make it out safely, don't I?"_

_Gene smirked, "Do you really want me to answer that?"_

_Mai ran over her memories in her mind and laughed nervously, "Maybe not." Mai felt a tug, pulling her away._

"_It's time for you to go," Gene observed._

"_Un," Mai nodded and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him in a hug, "See you later, Gene."_

_Gene smiled as he returned the hug, "Good-bye, Mai."_

_Mai looked up at him with a frown, "Why are you saying 'good-bye'? You're coming back later, aren't you?"_

_Gene chuckled to himself. It was just like Mai to brood over something like that and notice the small things everyone else forgot. "Then see you later, it is."_

_Mai smiled back at him as she faded away from the darkness._

xxxxxxxxxxx

"Mai~ It's time to wake up," someone gently shook her.

Mai sleepily opened her eyes to see Bou-san with a wide grin in welcome. "Bou-san . . . When did you get here?"

"Just now. It's 7:15," Bou-san stood up, "Everyone else is here, too." Mai sat up to see Ayako and Masako arguing while John tried to stop them as Yasuhara laughed in amusement. Mai shook her head in exasperation, but she knew that the argument was just those two's way of showing that they care – or rather trying to hide it. It was just like how Ayako and Bou-san used to argue to hide their true feelings. Now that the two had confessed to each other and were dating, the argument had decreased, though not by much

Yasuhara turned to see her awake. "Hey, Mai, welcome back. I thought I was going to give you a kiss of true love to wake you. Too bad I missed my chance," he joked mischievously, making Mai blush. She could never get used to his teasing.

"Oi, oi," Bou-san sighed, "Do you really have to tease her as soon as she wakes up?"

"Don't worry, Bou-san," Yasuhara clasped the monk's hands in his own, "You will always be my number one."

Bou-san groaned, "You really have to stop teasing me like this."

Yasuhara tapped his chin thoughtfully, "You're right. I wouldn't want to deal with a jealous Ayako."

"What?" Ayako yelled, blushing.

"He does have a point, Ayako," Masako told the woman, "You are a very jealous woman."

"You're one to talk," Ayako huffed, "You're the one who was drooling over Naru a few months ago."

Masako didn't flinch, "I never drooled over him. Besides, I no longer have feelings for him."

Bou-san looked at Masako curiously, "So do you have anyone you like right now?"

Masako blushed, struggling to come up with a response. However, luckily, John came to her defence, "That's private, Bou-san."

"Private? But all the girls probably know. Why can't I?" Bou-san complained.

It was true: all the girls did know. But they were girls – of course they shared secrets. It was just the way it goes. Mai smirked, "Become a girl and we'll tell you."

"No fair," Bou-san whined.

"Oh shut up," Ayako's hand was already reaching for her purse. But she didn't have to do anything to put the monk to silence as Naru slammed his book shut – a proven way of shutting up an entire room.

"Now, if all of you are awake," Naru interrupted them, shooting a glare at Mai, who quickly hid behind Bou-san, "We can get to work. Matsuzaki-san, accompany Hara-san around the school. See if you can sense anything. Bou-san, Mai, Yasuhara, John, split up into two groups. One group will set up the cameras on the first floor and the second group on the second floor. You have one hour to finish setting up as the school starts at 8:15. I expect it to be done before the students arrive."

"_If he's so worried about it being finished on time, why doesn't he help?_" Mai thought to herself crossly. However, she kept her thoughts to herself as everyone nodded and set to work. Ayako and Masako walked out of the room after saying a few words to the others.

Bou-san wrapped an arm around Mai, "Looks like we get to spend some quality time together again."

"Why do I have to be with you?" Mai pretended to pout, though she really didn't mind.

"Cause you're a danger magnet and I need to be near you to protect you," Bou-san tapped her forehead with his knuckles.

"Oh my," Yasuhara grinned, "Are you planning on cheating on me, Bou-san?"

"W-what?" Bou-san stammered, gawking at the boy.

Mai however giggled, "Well, technically he's already cheating on you because he's dating Ayako."

Yasuhara placed his hand over his heart, gasping dramatically, "How could you, Bou-san?"

Bou-san smacked his head with his hand, "When is this going to end?"

John laughed nervously, "We should get to work now. Naru might get angry." Bou-san and Mai paled at the thought of an angry Naru while Yasuhara just smirked.

"So let's go, right, Mai?" Bou-san grabbed some of the equipment.

Mai quickly followed him, "Right! See you guys later." With that, the brother-sister pair was out of the room. In a few minutes, John and Yasuhara followed suit.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Oh god!" Bou-san plopped down on the sofa, "How many rooms are in this school?"

"At least we're done," John smiled optimistically.

"Would you like to give you a massage?" Yasuhara's eyes twinkled with mischief.

Bou-san shuddered, "No thanks."

"But I bet you would accept without hesitation if Ayako offered, huh, Bou-san," Mai teased.

Bou-san turned red, "Mai! What are you saying?" Mai just laughed at his reaction. However their merriment was interrupted when Naru's dreaded words entered the air.

"Mai, tea."

Mai groaned, "Why me?" Nevertheless, she stood up to make the tea. They had a plug-in kettle and sink so she didn't need to go anywhere else.

At that time, Ayako and Masako came into the room. "Hey guys," Ayako walked over to them with Masako.s

"Hey, Masako, Ayako," Mai called out to them, "Do you both want some tea too?"

"That'd be great," Ayako smiled thankfully as Masako nodded.

"So what did you see?" Bou-san asked the medium as Mai placed the cups of tea in front of them before walking over to Naru to give him his cup. She noticed that despite the fact he was looking over his notes, he seemed to be listening in on the conversation as well.

"I don't exactly know," Masako sighed, "It's like there is a strong evil force here, except it is able to mask its presence completely."

"Then how can you tell it's here?" Yasuhara questioned curiously.

"It's just a feeling that I can sense in the air," Masako sipped her tea, "From the incredible amount of fear, I'm guessing it's a leftover emotion that is probably from the girls who were targeted."

"That must feel terrible for you," Mai looked at Masako worriedly as she sat down beside the girl.

John noted the understanding undertone to her voice, "Did you sense anything, Mai?"

Mai looked surprised that someone noticed before laughing it off, "No, not really. I just got a bad feeling when I came into the school. That's all."

"I see . . ." Bou-san had a feeling that the 'bad feeling' was a lot worse than she was letting on, but decided to let it go for now.

Naru decided to speak up then, "Alright. If everyone has arrived, then we can start the interviews. I believe all of you can speak English to a fair degree." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Good. Then we shall call the students here class by class." Naru turned back to his notes, "_This case is going to be interesting . . ._"

However, Naru – or any of them – didn't realize how interesting this case was going to be.

**Ha ha. I know it doesn't seem like it but this is actually a cliff hanger. Next chapter will be . . . interesting. Find out how later~ However, no guarantees cause I'm currently working on a story for FictionPress. I already have one up called 'Everlasting' under the same name. So if you want, you can always check it out. See you next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Hey, do you know who these ghost hunters are?" a female voice drifted through the hallways, speaking in English.

"I don't know, but Amaya-nee-chan said that they had a good reputation," a lower pitched voice answered, though the person was clearly a female, also speaking in English.

"Really?" The first voice sounded contemplative, "Better than SPR, Sayuri?"

Sayuri – the second voice – grinned, "No way, Emi. Those guys from 'Ghost Hunt' are just epic!"

"Especially Lin, right~" Emi – the first voice – teased her friend.

"Of course," Sayuri winked playfully, "And you would get Yasuhara~"

Emi giggled in response, "Of course, he can't resist my smexiness. The same goes for Lin in your case."

"Cause we're just awesome like that," Sayuri struck a fancy yet ridiculous pose, making Emi laugh.

Actually the two girls were both fans of Ghost Hunt. In fact, they had met on Fanfiction through their stories. Then Sayuri and Emi had found out they were in Oak Tree Secondary School, agreeing to meet in the school library by the shelf that held the Ghost Hunt manga series. Since then they had become close friends. Sayuri had introduced Emi to one of the Law teachers, Amaya-sensei, who was also a fan of Ghost Hunt. Amaya-sensei was like an older sister to Sayuri, thus her being the only person who could call the teacher 'Amaya-nee-chan'. It was a running joke between the three that Sayuri was 'in love' with Lin and Emi would be paired up with Yasuhara.

Sayuri had jet-black slightly wavy hair that reached her mid-back. Her eyes were almost pitch-black, some people saying that they were just really dark brown while others swore it really was black. She was always smiling – so much so that she was called 'Smiley'. However, those who she felt she could depend on knew she wasn't a cheerful person at all and there was only a few who she could depend on. It wasn't that the friends couldn't be depended on: it was that she was the one they depended on. The fact that she was the one taking care of everyone and being the strong one was a bit ironic, seeing as she was tiny at 5 feet – perhaps smaller.

Emi on the other hand had dark brown hair with natural highlights of a shade lighter, framing her face as it reached past her shoulders. Her brown eyes complimented her, bringing liveliness to her. She was always smiling with warmth and was really fun to be around. Her eyes often had a light in them that brought others joy. However, the girl had a way of bringing laughter to people who were feeling sorrow. Emi and Sayuri equally depended on each other, bringing an understanding few had. Emi had a strength resting within her 5'3 feet body that few seemed to notice – a strength that allowed her to take care of others around her.

Amaya-sensei – or Amaya-nee-chan – had black hair with a little bit of brown mixed in, reaching down her back. Her dark brown eyes shone with maturity and understanding. Sayuri completely depended on the woman, who never shied away from the weak sides the younger girl showed. She was above averageat 5'7 feet, towering over the small girl. However, Amaya-sensei used that height to protect Sayuri from the friends who would often playfully push her around because she knew that it could get out of hand. Amaya-sensei always smiled with kindness no matter how many times people went to her for help. She somehow always knew what to say to make hope flood into the person.

"Hey, Sayuri, you idiotic girl," Emi knocked on the girl's head, "You're walking right past the room, you know."

"Eh?" Sayuri looked at the door that Emi was pointing at, "Oops, thanks for reminding me."

"No problem, sweetheart," Emi responded teasingly as she walked over and knocked on the door.

"Come in," a cheerful female voice called out to them, "The door's unlocked!"

"_Wow, that's the prefect voice for 'Mai' from 'Ghost Hunt',_" Sayuri thought to herself as she pulled the door open. But nothing could have prepared her for what she saw in front of her.

There they were, right in front of her: the SPR team from 'Ghost Hunt'. "B-bh-bhu," Emi struggled to form coherent words, pointing at the ghost hunters in shock. Sayuri on the other hand was shocked speechless. I mean, wouldn't you be shocked if you saw the characters of your favourite manga standing in front of you?

"Um, are you okay?" Mai walked forward, worried, "You guys are both really pale."

Mai's words brought Sayuri back to the real world. The first thought that ran through her mind was that she and Emi needed to get away from here and talk. Now! "Nothing! I just have really bad stomach cramps right now! Emi, come with me to the nurse!" She slammed the door shut and grabbed Emi, sprinting down the corridor and around the corner.

Emi came out of her frozen state, "Wait! Did I just see what I thought I saw?"

Sayuri nodded slowly, "Yeah, you did and so did I . . ." The two girls stared at each other before reacting – in two very different ways.

"This is so cool!" Emi squealed with excitement, jumping up and down.

"I'm cursed for sure," Sayuri groaned as she slid to the ground, hanging her head.

"What are you talking about, Sayuri?" Emi raised her eyebrow in puzzlement, "Why aren't you excited?"

"Cause this is just incredibly complicated," Sayuri sighed, "The freaky stupid ghost head is bad enough, but my favourite characters coming to life is just insane."

"This isn't like you," Emi knelt down beside her friend, examining her face, "You would have been excited along with me usually. Not Miss Depressed."

"You try being optimistic when your stomach is killing you," Sayuri leaned her head back against the wall.

"Wait, so it wasn't just an excuse to get us out of there?" Emi blinked in realization. Sayuri nodded. "I never noticed. Normally you're in a really bad mood when Mother Nature strikes, but you were acting like you usually do."

Sayuri shrugged, "Why get more negative when a ghost head is already chasing after you?"

Emi laughed at her friend's logic. "Scratch that, you are acting weird."

Sayuri smirked, "When aren't I acting weird?"

Emi smiled in welcome of her friend's words, "_Looks like she's going back to normal._" Sayuri only responded like that when she was getting better.

"So what are we going to do?" Sayuri questioned, "Do we tell them that they're manga characters or not?"

"What do you think, genius?" Emi answered sarcastically.

Sayuri grinned unrepentantly, "Couldn't help to ask, right?"

"Wrong," Emi stood up, "It hurts my brain to deal with your idiotism."

Sayuri took the hand that Emi offered, "But you love me anyways, darling~"

Emi grinned back, "Of course. You have too many cute points."

"Ewmi-chwan is soo nwice~" Sayuri hugged Emi from behind.

Emi just laughed in response, "Hopefully Mother Nature leaves soon. Your mood swings of a pregnant woman are too much to deal with."

"Let's just hope Naru stays respectful and doesn't try to piss me off," Sayuri let go of her friend, walking beside the other girl towards the room again.

"He's nice to the clients, right?" Emi looked at her friend questioningly.

"Yeah, but his emotionless face might piss me off since I'm really easy to anger at the moment," Sayuri was unrepentant while she said this. If anything, she was amused by the idea of Naru dealing with an angry version of herself.

Emi shuddered, "Your angry side isn't something anyone deserves."

Sayuri smirked, "It's up to him, isn't it."

Emi shook her head, "You are a devious woman." Sayuri winked, making Emi giggle.

Sayuri walked towards the door and knocked, "Um, it's us again. Can we come in?"

"Of course," the same cheerful voice answered. However this time, the owner of the voice – Mai – opened the door. She seemed to be a bit careful around them.

"_I guess she's worried that we'll run away again if she surprises us,_" Emi realized with a laugh. However, some of them weren't going to be as considerate.

"So the little girls decide to brave the dragon's den," Bou-san joked.

"You idiot," Ayako smacked him over the head, "You're going to scare them." Bou-san was clearly going to retort when a voice interrupted them.

"Girls? What are you talking about? There's only one girl here," Sayuri grinned wickedly, "I'm a guy." The SPR team gaped at her a few moments, looking over her figure to try and find out if she was joking or not.

Yasuhara tapped his chin thoughtfully, "Well, this is an interesting prospect." John laughed nervously at the college student's words.

"Don't worry," Emi waved her hand as though to chase away the misunderstanding, "She's actually a girl."

"Aw," Sayuri pouted, "Why'd you tell them that?"

Emi leaned in to whisper her answer, "Well, you don't want Lin to think you're a guy, do you?"

Sayuri groaned, "Let's not go there."

Emi raised her eyebrow puzzled, "You never minded before."

"Yeah, but that was before I found out he was real," Sayuri glanced over when the said man was typing on his laptop.

"Um, what's going on?" Mai watched the two girls whisper.

Sayuri turned to the brown-haired girl, "Sorry about that. We forgot you guys were here."

"Yeah, that makes me feel just great," Bou-san muttered. The two new girls laughed at his words.

"Once again, we apologize," Emi bowed dramatically.

"Excuse me," a cold voice froze the air around them, "But I would prefer to start the interviews now." Everyone collectively paled.

Sayuri and Emi peeked at each other, "_Oh no . . ._"

"Naru," Mai put her hands on her hips, "Are you trying to scare them away again?"

"I don't see any reason for them to be scared," Naru looked at Mai expressionlessly.

"Well, it might be a little scary to all of a sudden go and talk to a bunch of ghost hunters!"

"I still don't see a reason for them to be scared."

"Your glare is enough to scare anyone off!"

"You're not proving anything, Mai."

"Um . . . we weren't scared, you know," Emi sweatdropped, "Sayuri had a stomach cramp because Mother Nature was visiting . . ."

"Emi! Did you really have to add in that last part?" Sayuri glared at her friend.

"You say it to the others in our class," Emi shrugged unapologetically.

"Yeah, well, I've known them for a long time now," Sayuri told her.

Bou-san cleared his throat, "You guys are forgetting we're here again."

"Oh yeah, sorry," Sayuri sat down in front of Naru, Emi following suit.

"Introductions first. My name is Hanashima Emi, a grade 11 student," Emi gestured to Sayuri next, "This is my _female _classmate, Hoshizuki Sayuri." Sayuri rolled her eyes at the emphasis on 'female'.

"So according to the notes, you two are the new targets," Naru's eyes gauged their reaction. At first the two girls appeared puzzled.

"The head that's chasing you around," Ayako coaxed.

"Oh!" Sayuri realized, "You mean the Ghost Head Energy Rapist."

The SPR team gaped at them, "EH?"

Sayuri shrugged, "Emi came up with it."

The SPR team turned to stare at Emi in shock, to which Emi raised her hands in a surrendering position, "Hey, it's true!"

Yasuhara chuckled, "Well, you have very good naming skills."

Emi grinned, "Thanks." Sayuri smirked and nudged her friend with her elbow, clearly referring to her part in the pairing-up-with-Yasuhara-and-Lin joke. Emi elbowed her friend lightly.

"_They're really close,_" Mai watched them with a smile as they shared their thoughts without having to say a word.

"But," John began, "I thought it only targeted one person at a time."

"Yeah, well, we're always together so I guess it just decided to kill two birds with one stone," Sayuri smiled weakly, "But we have been attacked separately from time to time."

"How long have you been affected by this being?" Masako spoke for the first time.

Emi answered her, "A little more than 1 week."

"What's wrong, Masako?" Mai walked over to the girl concernedly.

"I can feel it," Masako's voice was barely over a whisper as she spoke clearly horrified, "This – this _thing _feeds off the horror, fear and pain of the ones it targets. Every time the girls get weaker and weaker while this monster gets stronger and stronger, relishing in the emotions of these girls!"

"I thought you couldn't feel it," Bou-san frowned worriedly.

"Yes, at first I couldn't, but a few moments ago, I felt its presence very strongly. I didn't tell you because I wanted to understand what it was at first," Masako's knuckles were white.

Emi and Sayuri shot each other a knowing look. Sayuri gave Masako a gentle smile, "Actually before we were sent to find you, we had an encounter with our beheaded friend. Usually, he just appears for a few moments and he does some stuff to creep us out. He then disappears when we either throw something at him or someone interrupts. Luckily, this time we were interrupted rather quickly."

"How often are the attacks?" Naru asked, still expressionless.

"About once a day though the time varies," Emi responded.

"According to what we've heard, these girls are traumatized, but you guys don't seem affected at all," Ayako observed.

The two girls chuckled. Sayuri grinned, "What's the point in letting this thing have what it wants?"

Emi's eyes danced, "Hey, it's not like we can say our lives are boring." The SPR team nodded, marvelling at the strength within the two girls.

Bou-san pretended to sigh in a depressed manner, "It looks like we'll have to keep our eye on you guys."

"And we thought Mai was a handful," Yasuhara shook his head.

Mai glared at the college student, "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"That you are a danger magnet who is too much of an idiot for her own good," Masako replied, hiding her smile behind her sleeve.

"Hey!" Mai turned her glare on the girl, feeling relieved on the inside that Masako was feeling better. The two girls' relationship had turned for the better when Masako had realized Naru was simply the epitome of what she thought was a perfect man. However, her true feelings lay with another – someone who had changed her view of what a perfect man was. Of course, Mai and Masako still enjoyed arguing, often showing their friendship through that.

"Though it might be difficult to watch over you guys," John frowned slightly, "You need to attend your class, but we can't impose on that to take care of you guys." The others understood what the priest was saying and looked worried.

"Oh, don't worry about that," Emi assured them.

Sayuri gave them a thumbs up, "You see we both have a keen interest in Japan so we learned Japanese and are actually pretty good at it. Besides that, we are also the targets so the staff decided to let us finish whatever lessons we needed to learn for the next week early and said we could help you guys out."

"Eh? That means we didn't have to speak in English this entire time," Bou-san groaned at the thought of wasted effort.

"Oh, Bou-san, don't tell me that tired you out" Yasuhara adjusted his glasses, "After all, we've been pretty active these past nights together~"

Bou-san shuddered at what the boy was implying, "Shounen, please stop creeping me out."

"Nope," Yasuhara instantly replied. Everyone laughed. This case was going to be as interesting as all the others it appeared.

**I think this chapter was a bit of a roller coaster, huh. Lots of mood swings and kind of all over the place. Sorry about that. Thanks for reading though~ See ya next chapter~**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"So what are you doing?" Emi leaned on the desk, watching Yasuhara show Mai something, who jotted it down. They now spoke in Japanese since the group could all understand it.

"I'm checking the temperatures for Naru," Mai answered absentmindedly, "You see, the temperature decreases whenever a ghost enters."

Emi smiled on the inside, laughing at how she already knew all of this because of the manga, "I guess it makes sense. Corpses are supposed to be cold so the ghosts might take that same temperature to signify that they're dead."

Yasuhara tapped her chin thoughtfully, "That makes a lot of sense actually. I'm surprised Naru didn't think of that."

Mai grimaced, "Though knowing him, he probably did think of that and just decided to not tell us . . ."

Emi laughed, "So you like this Naru?"

Mai blushed, "H-how?"

Emi smirked, "Female intuition."

"Now if it was Sayuri saying that, we'd have a debate," Mai turned back to her clipboard.

Yasuhara chuckled, "That's true. Though I wonder how that debate would go."

Emi stifled her giggle. She had seen such debates before, but with this group of people, it could be very interesting. It was just too bad that Sayuri wasn't there at the moment. Then again, Emi had planned it this way. After all, as a friend, it was Emi's job to help Sayuri with her 'fictional lover' as they had often called him. Actually, just a few minutes ago, what had happened was . . .

_Flashback_

"_Excuse me?" Emi peeked into the room._

"_Oh, Hanashima-san," Mai stood up to greet the girl._

"_You shouldn't be by yourself," Bou-san frowned._

"_First of all," Emi rolled her eyes, "call me Emi. And unless you want to get murdered, call Sayuri by her first name."_

_John laughed nervously at Emi's choice of wording, "Shouldn't you ask Sayuri for her opinion . . ."_

"_I've known her for long enough," Emi said before continuing, "And second of all, I'm not alone. Sayuri's right here."_

_Sayuri poked her head in, "Is this my cue to enter?"_

"_Cut! You ruined the shoot, Sayuri," Emi scolded._

"_I apologize. I should have done better," Sayuri feigned shame, "Please let me cut off my pinkie as an apology."_

"_Girl, this is Hollywood, not the Yakuza," Emi hit Sayuri's forehead._

_Sayuri gasped dramatically, "No way!"_

"_I think your interplays rival Yasuhara's," Ayako laughed._

"_Why, thank you," the two girls simultaneously bowed._

"_I think I feel insulted," Yasuhara sighed, pretending to be depressed._

"_Sorry~" Emi sang out._

"_I might feel better if you go on a date with me," Yasuhara winked._

"_Courting first, then dating," Emi teased him back. The SPR team gawked at the pair. Yasuhara was already making a move and Emi was actually responding – positively!_

_Sayuri just grinned, "How about you guys date _after_ we get rid of Mister GHER? I can't stand his ugly face." It took the others a few minutes to find out what she meant before realizing she was referring to the nickname Emi had come up with._

"_Did you guys encounter that head again?" Masako asked worriedly_

"_Don't worry, Masako," Sayuri placed her hand on the medium's shoulder, "We'll tell you if we meet it again." Masako nodded forlornly. _

_Mai looked uneasy, "_Masako's never been this anxious. Both of us are getting bad feelings about this case._"_

"_So what are you guys doing right now?" Emi sat down beside Mai._

"_Actually, we're just waiting for Naru to give us something to do," John told her._

"_Well, wait no more," Naru's voice come out, sounding happy and hyper, "I shall give you all my requests. Please help me as you always do~"_

_Everyone paled and stared at Naru, including Lin. Even Naru looked shocked._

"_N-Naru," Mai stammered, "A-Are you possessed?" Everyone thought back to the last time he had been possessed in Okobu case._

"_I think I preferred it when he was possessed by a violent ghost," Bou-san muttered._

"_I agree," Ayako nodded, "And I'm the one who was almost strangled by him."_

_Naru glared at them, "I am not possessed."_

"_That's what they all say," Sayuri crossed her arms._

_Masako looked at Naru puzzled, "That's odd. I can't sense any spirit's presence coming from within him."_

"_Wait, so does that he's not possessed?" Mai looked at the others questioningly._

_They looked at each other for a moment before collectively responding, "Nah!" Naru groaned. Lin, having realized that Naru really wasn't possessed, was trying not to laugh._

"_So who's going to perform the exorcism?" Yasuhara inquired._

"_Well, John's exorcism is the one that is used for humans, right?" Mai looked to the priest for confirmation._

_John nodded, "Yes, but it may take a few minutes for me to get ready."_

"_Don't worry," Bou-san pointed to himself and Yasuhara, "We'll restrain him."_

"_Oh, but Bou-san, I'm scared~" Yasuhara pretended to faint, "Is this your revenge for me flirting with Emi~"_

"_Just shut up and help me hold him down," Bou-san stood up and began walking over to Naru._

"_Alright," Yasuhara sighed, following suit._

_Naru watched as the two men approached him in a manner that is similar to how a person would approach a stray cat. He glanced at Lin, who simply watched with an amused smirk. "_Looks like I won't be getting any help from him._" Then he looked at them with a glare, "I am not possessed! So stop being a bunch of jabbering idiots and do something productive." _

_Bou-san and Yasuhara stopped in mid-step, everyone in the room having the same thoughts, "_That sounded exactly like Naru!_"_

_Naru looked irritated, "That's cause it is me."_

"_B-but then how?" Mai exclaimed._

"_Could he have split-personality?" Ayako thought from a medical perspective._

"_Maybe he was only possessed for a second?" John wondered._

"_I was never possessed," Naru was going to explode if they didn't shut up. How could anyone be so dense? _

"_Then," Masako looked around her, probably trying to see if she could sense anything, still not completely believing Naru, "who was that?" The rest of the SPR team shared the same thoughts as they pondered what had happened when Sayuri and Emi burst out laughing._

"_Wait," Bou-san looked at the two girls puzzled, "Why are you guys laughing?"_

_Naru however seemed to figure out why, "Did you guys have something to do with this voice that sounded like mine, but obviously wasn't?"_

_Sayuri coughed, attempting to hide her laugher, "Well, you see, Emi here is a very good ventriloquist. However, that's not always a good thing when her mischievous side come into play." Everyone's eyes shifted to the brown-haired girl. _

_Emi simply grinned, "It was fun while it lasted." She held up a camera, "I even videotaped it."_

"Where did she keep the camera?_" Everyone sweatdropped. _

"_So you decided to be a nuisance for your own fun?" Naru's icy voice pierced them._

_Emi scratched the back of her head, "_Oh boy . . . Maybe choosing Naru as my victim wasn't such a good idea . . ._" She sent Sayuri a pleading glance. Sayuri however simply shrugged and smiled helplessly. Emi knew that it was unlikely that Sayuri could do anything in the first place, but the black-haired girl could have at least tried._

_However, John came to the rescue, being the kind priest he is, "So Naru, what would you like for us to do?"_

_Naru shifted his gaze to the priest, "Bou-san and you are to go to all the rooms where the head has said to appear. Matsuzaki-san and Hara-san are to walk around the school again and see if you sense something. Mai, go record the temperatures. Yasuhara, accompany her."_

"_What about you, Naru?" Masako asked._

"_I'm going to be at the library. It seems they have some books on the history of this school," Naru turned to Lin, "Lin, watch the monitors." Lin opened his mouth to argue against the notion, but Naru spoke before the onmyoji could, "It's clear that this being isn't interested in anyone other than Hoshizuki-san and Hanashima-san and will not attack if there is someone else around. I will also come back periodically to check what's going on."_

"_Well then," Emi stretched, "I'll go with Mai and Yasuhara. It'll be easier for them to gain entrance to the classrooms if I'm there too. The teachers happen to be fond of Sayuri and me so they'll be more likely to listen if I'm there."_

"_But what if the head comes after you? From Masako's reaction, I'm guessing that Mai's chants aren't going to work and Yasuhara and you have no way of protecting yourselves," Bou-san protested._

"_There's no need to worry," Sayuri reassured, "Mr GHER only comes after us when we're by ourselves and never more than once a day. Though we'd prefer it if it were zero times a day, this is comforting anyways since he's already attacked us."_

"_The ghost head could change its patterns," Ayako disagreed._

_Sayuri however shook her head, "That's unlikely. It's been happening for a while now and I doubt it's going to elevate all of a sudden. It has no reason to so far. If it did, then we would know."_

"_What do you mean?" John questioned._

_Emi answered, "Just like Masako could feel his presence, his targets can feel it too. I guess it's because he takes some of our energy so it's like part of us is inside him . . . Okay, now that is a creepy thought . . ." The others laughed at her disturbed expression when she realized what she had said._

"_Alright," Naru conceded. "You can go with Mai and Yasuhara, but you are not to be separated from each other at any time."_

_Sayuri stood up and started walking towards the door, "Well, I'll head back to class then."_

_Mai looked up surprised, "Eh? Why?" Why anyone would voluntarily go to class was beyond her._

_Sayuri looked at them over her shoulder, "Well, I have nothing better to do."_

_Yasuhara frowned, "Isn't there a possibility that you could get attacked? Why don't you accompany us?"_

_Sayuri shook her head, "The chances of you being attacked goes up if we're both there. On top of that, I would prefer not to go to those rooms where the attacks happened cause I can still feel his presence in there and I really don't want to feel that."_

_Emi suddenly grinned deviously, "Then why don't you stay here with Lin?" Sayuri glared at the girl, knowing what her friend was thinking. However, before she could object, the others spoke first._

"_Yeah, that's a great idea," Bou-san nodded._

"_And Lin can protect you with his shiki," Mai agreed._

"_Wait! What about Lin? Won't he mind?" Sayuri argued._

_Lin decided to speak up at that point, "I don't care."_

_Emi winced, "_Ouch. Even though the pairing-up stuff was just a joke, Sayuri had always been interested in him. And even though he didn't know, he could have said it in a less insensitive way . . . Then again, he's Lin . . ._" Emi glanced at Sayuri, whose expression hadn't changed. But Emi knew that Sayuri was actually very sensitive so she was probably affected by his words._

_The SPR team however didn't notice. "It's clear that Lin doesn't mind so there's no problem," Yasuhara teased, "Unless you're the one who minds . . ."_

"_No!" Sayuri waved her hands. "I don't mind . . . It's just that . . ."_

"_Just what?" Ayako crossed her arms._

_Sayuri hung her head, knowing she had lost this fight, "Nothing."_

"_Good," Ayako clapped her hands together as though to finalize it._

_Naru sighed impatiently, "I don't care what you do, just get to work."_

_End Flashback_

Emi chuckled to herself. She knew that, due to her mischievous side, now Sayuri would also be after her along with Naru. "_But,_" Emi smiled wistfully, "_I hope this works out for her. I really do._"

_Meanwhile . . ._

**Sorry folks, but meanwhile happens next chapter~ Ha ha, you love my torture. ;P See ya next chapter~**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"_Argh,_" Sayuri mentally groaned, "_Damn that Emi . . ._" She glanced over at Lin, him typing on his laptop the only sound in the room. Sayuri didn't mind silence despite most people saying otherwise. It's just awkward when she wasn't able to drift off into some part of her mind or didn't have something to focus on doing. And right now, it was impossible to do either one with Lin in the room. He made her so curious. Not only due to the fact that she was interested in how he was a real life person when she had only seen him in manga, but also because she had always found him to be the most fascinating character of any fiction. He had seemed to be a mystery that she had yet to solve. Sayuri had always been intrigued by how people think and what triggers their reactions and so on. However, Lin had struck her as a person that she would have a hard time understanding, even when she had been reading the manga. Now that theory had just been proven. "_Honestly though . . . I doubt he likes that I'm here . . . He probably just wanted to avoid the others' pestering him . . . Oh god, I sound so depressing. What's wrong with me? I'm acting like some suicidal teenager! I should just ask him._" But of course, it was easier to think it rather than actually do it. And on top of that, it was Lin! Who wasn't intimidated starting a conversation with him?

"Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Eh?" Sayuri's head shoot up at Lin's sudden voice.

"You looked like you wanted to tell me something."

Sayuri blinked surprised, "_So he noticed . . ._" She smiled before laughing it off, "No, it's nothing that important. I'll probably forget about it in a few minutes."

"You are terrible at lying."

Sayuri was taken back. Most people didn't even realize she was lying unless it was a really blatant lie, like 'I'm a guy'. She chuckled, "That's something I really didn't expect."

Lin glanced at her for the first time since they started talking. She looked thoroughly amused. He smirked to himself, continuing the previous interrogation, "So what did you want to tell me?"

"Oh, that," Sayuri tensed, looking away, "Well, I was just wondering if you minded me being here. Like if it bothered you." There was a long pause. Sayuri shifted uncomfortably, "_Well, I guess his silence means that it does bother him . . . What a wonderfully pleasant thought._" Her last thought etched in sarcasm.

"I would have said something if it bothered me."

Sayuri almost fell off her chair in shock. This was the most surprising thing he had said so far. "_No way . . ._" She gawked at him, "_Is he . . . comforting me? . . . I never thought he could comfort anyone . . . Though I doubt this technique could work with everyone . . ._" An image popped into her mind, sending her into an uncontrollable fit of giggles.

Lin watched her reaction out of the corner of his eye, intrigued by her changes in mood, "_Though her ability to suddenly change her mood is similar to Mai, she's definitely not as predictable, if at all._" He could not deny that this girl was interesting, "What are you laughing at?"

Sayuri coughed, attempting – and failing – to stop laughing, "Well, it's just that when you said that, I understood that in your own odd way, you were comforting me. Then I realized that your technique wouldn't work on everyone, especially pregnant women. And that led to me visualizing a frantic you dodging plates being thrown at you by a pregnant woman. And well . . . that's just plain hilarious."

It was Lin's turn to stare at the girl, albeit with an emotionless face. How in the world had she come up with that? "_What kind of person is this girl . . ._" Could she have been dropped on her head when she was a baby?

Sayuri glowered at the man, "Oh shut up, Lin-san."

Lin raised his eyebrow, this time actually looking at her, "I never said anything."

Sayuri didn't end her glare, "I could tell that you were thinking something, Lin-san. Something that would be rather angering if I heard it."

Lin for the first time took his time to actually look at her completely. She had a laughing twinkle in her eyes and her lips were turned up in a good-humoured smile. She clearly didn't feel offended at all, but was instead playing with him. That thought amused him: someone was actually teasing him. This girl was brave to do so. The only ones who had ever teased him were his insufferable aunt and Madoka. "You don't know that for sure, Hoshizuki-san."

Sayuri frowned genuinely, puzzling Lin as to what had caused the change in mood, "It's 'Sayuri'."

Lin's eyebrows shot up ever so slightly, "Excuse me?"

Sayuri sighed as though dealing with a child, something that was more amusing to Lin than irritating, "I don't like it when people call me by my last name. A nickname is fine, but not my last name."

Lin had seen that many didn't like this, but this girl seemed particularly bothered by it, "Why is it so important to you?"

Sayuri looked out the window, a reminiscent look coming into her eyes. "It feels nice. Like I'm close to that person. When they say my name, it feels like they are talking to me especially. Like we have a connection. Like we know each other and can trust each other. I know it doesn't make sense, but when someone says my name, it strikes a chord with me and I feel happy within me. The same thing happens with a nickname, only slightly warmer because it's like that nickname is something special between us. Yet when someone calls me by my last name, it feels like there's distance between us and it makes me feel sad inside. That's why I don't want anyone to call me by my last name," she seemed to remember that he was there and laughed sheepishly, "I guess that sounds pretty stupid, huh."

Lin didn't reply, simply watching her before turning back to his laptop with the words, "No, it doesn't."

"Eh?" Sayuri turned back to him alarmed.

"I don't understand it," Lin said without hesitation, "But that's what you like so I shouldn't judge, right. I mean, it's not really hurting anyone." Thoughts about himself soon followed, "_Unlike my hatred of the Japanese._" He looked over at Sayuri, "_She would definitely not like it if she heard about it._"

Sayuri smiled, standing up before she walked over to him. Then she gently touched his hand, making him look up at her in surprise, "Thank you . . . for accepting me."

Lin didn't understand this girl. Why was something so small so precious to her? How could someone who seemed so childish at first, all of a sudden, become so mature? He didn't understand it. He didn't understand her. He turned back to his computer, "Koujo."

"Eh?" Sayuri wondered if he wanted her to call him by his first name but quickly brushed away the thought.

However, Lin proved that she shouldn't dismiss things so easily, "Call me Koujo."

"Why?" Sayuri couldn't understand why he would want for her to call him by his first name. It didn't make sense.

"Isn't it common courtesy that I return the favour?"

"No, not really," Sayuri frowned, obviously not satisfied by his reply. She had the feeling that he was evading the question.

"Why? Do you not want to call me by my first name?" Lin smirked at her.

Sayuri's jaw dropped. Was he teasing her? She blushed, noticing how his cold appearance changed when he had that teasing twinkle in his eyes. "N-no," she stammered, "I want to, but . . ." She realized that what she said was rather embarrassing, seeing Lin chuckle.

"Good," he turned back to his laptop. Sayuri's eyes widened as she realized he had just wormed his way out of an explanation to her question. She was just about to protest when the door opened.

"Well, well, what is this?" Bou-san's teasing voice entered the room.

Yasuhara joined in, "Standing so close? Are you two an item already?"

"No way!" Mai gaped at them.

"Yes! My evil plan worked!" Emi punched the air. John laughed nervously at her words.

Sayuri glared at them, "No, we are not an item. We were just talking and I decided to walk over to him."

"Aw, did we interrupt you?" Bou-san pulled out his shining puppy eyes.

"Yes, I was just about to scold him for worming his way out of replying to a question," this time, Sayuri turned her glare on Lin, who continued to type as though there was nothing around him. Though, his eyes did follow her as she walked over to join the others: something everyone missed – everyone but Bou-san.

"_Oh~_" Bou-san grinned, "_Now isn't this interesting?_" He couldn't wait to talk to Lin about it later. However, Bou-san decided it would be best to do it in privacy. After all, he wanted to get some info before teasing the mysterious man.

"Wait," Mai turned to Emi, "You said that this was your plan. Are you trying to get Sayuri and Lin together?"

"Yep!" Emi admitted cheerfully.

Sayuri smacked her forehead, "You don't tell the people you're trying to get together that you're planning it!" Emi continued to smile cheerily, ignoring Sayuri's words.

Yasuhara kneeled down on one knee in front of Emi, "Oh my! A girl after my own heart! Will you give me the honour of joining you in your quest?"

Emi curtsied, "It would be my pleasure to have your assistance, my dear friend."

"And hopefully," Yasuhara took her hand, gently kissing the back of it, a devious look in his eyes, "one day we can be more than friends."

Emi blushed, unable to reply. Mai giggled, "Looks like we might be getting a few couples in this case."

Sayuri slung her arm around Mai, "Do those couples include you and Naru?" Now Mai was the one blushing, trying to reply, but no sound coming out.

"What's going on?" Ayako called as she walked into the room with Masako.

"Just the girls teasing each other," Bou-san shrugged.

"Did you sense anything different?" John asked Masako.

The medium shook her head, "No, it's the same as before."

"We can suppose that means nothing has changed," Naru entered the room, having heard Masako's response.

"Naru! Want some tea?" Mai had just been about to make some, having already started heating the kettle.

Naru nodded before addressing the others, "Did you find anything?"

Bou-san shrugged, "Though the auras in the rooms were suppressing and everything, there really didn't seem to be anything to exorcise."

Yasuhara checked the clipboard, "The temperatures are generally the same in all the rooms, though lower in the rooms where the attacks happened."

"Is there any pattern to the temperatures of the rooms where the attacks happened?" Naru questioned.

"I already thought about that," Yasuhara looked up at Naru, "It appears the lower the temperature, the more recent the attack though there are a few rooms that didn't follow this rule."

"Wait," Emi spoke up, "How many rooms didn't follow the rule?"

Yasuhara quickly flipped through the list, "Six rooms."

Emi spoke softly, not looking at her friend yet still communicating with the other girl, "Sayuri, do you think . . ."

Sayuri nodded before addressing Yasuhara, "Were the rooms 216, 120, 104, 232, Lecture Room B and the south staircase?" Yasuhara nodded, slightly surprised.

"Looks like we were right. It does get stronger in those places," Emi muttered.

"Wait, what are you two talking about?" Mai looked back and forth between the two girls, pondering the almost silent communication between them as she set down the tea.

"If you have any information, it would be nice for you to tell us," Naru frowned impatiently.

"Thank you for the tea," Sayuri smiled at Mai, who returned it. Then the black-haired girl turned to Naru, "Each of these rooms is host to a target's last attack."

"I'm guessing that the fear was increased to an extremely high level during these times so the temperature is lower due to its effect," Emi concluded.

"That makes sense," John nodded.

"What did you find, Naru?" Bou-san turned to the stoic teen.

"Nothing that would assist with the case," Naru continued to look through his notes, "However, they mentioned a legend that was associated with the school."

"So what's the legend?" Ayako sipped her tea.

Naru sighed, "Unfortunately, the books there did not explain the legend to satisfactory levels, only mentioning a demon being sealed by a priestess."

"It may be possible," Masako told them quietly, "If it's a demon, then it having this much power is explainable."

"_And also very dangerous_," Mai thought, remembering the Urado case and wondering if Naru was going to leave this one as well as a demon is so powerful. Then Mai recalled the Okobu case and how he went up against a god as payback for angering him, "_Maybe he won't let this one go . . ._"

"Are there any other books that may help?" Lin spoke for the first time since the others had arrived.

"The book that would have helped was already signed out," Naru told them.

"And it's now right here," a light voice drifted into the room. They turned to see a young dark-haired woman who looked about 21 years old, standing there with an amused smirk as she held a book in one hand.

"Amaya-nee-chan," Sayuri sprang up and ran over to give her sister figure a hug, which the woman laughingly returned.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Naru clearly wasn't one for heart-warming reunions.

Amaya-sensei looked at the teen, "My name is Nakazima Amaya, a Law teacher here. And I have some information for you."

**OMG! What information does she have? Sorry, but you'll have to wait until later. Have fun guessing~ ;D Anyways, thanks for reading. See you next chapter~**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Onee-chan, did you research for Mrs Thomas?" Sayuri guided Amaya-sensei to the sofa.

"Yes, Mrs Thomas asked me if I could find anything. At the time, she was still trying to convince the board to allow ghost hunters," Amaya-sensei explained before turning to Emi, "So how have you been doing, Emiko?"

"Fine," Emi shot a quick smile at the older woman, "Without extra homework, I can relax all I want."

"Homework is the one thing that I don't understand," Amaya-sensei agreed.

"Yet you still give it," Sayuri teased.

"Of course, it's my duty as a teacher," Amaya-sensei winked.

"Wait," Yasuhara interrupted, turning to Emi, "Your name is Emiko?"

Emi nodded, "Yup, but everyone just calls me Emi. Well, everyone except Amaya-sensei and Mrs Thomas."

"Why do you call her 'Amaya-sensei' even though you're in America?" Mai asked curiously.

"And why do you guys have Japanese names even though you're clearly not Japanese?" Ayako observed.

"They call me 'Amaya-sensei' because all three of us love Japan so it's like a nickname," Amaya-sensei explained, "And Sayuri calls me 'nee-chan' because we are childhood friends so she gets special nicknaming privileges."

"And as for the Japanese names thing," Sayuri answered Ayako's question, "all of our parents either loved Japan or were in it at the moment so they gave their kids Japanese names."

"If you are done with your stupid questions, then I would like to move on," Naru quelled their words with a glare.

However, not all the comments had been silenced. "My grade 1 teacher told me there are no stupid questions," Emi piped up.

Everyone turned to gawk at her, "_First the ventriloquist prank and now this? Does she have a death wish?_" They watched as the girl paled under the strength of Naru's glare, choosing to hide behind a chortling Yasuhara. Sayuri and Amaya-sensei exchanged a quick glance, smirking. Emi caught their silent communication, sticking her tongue out at them.

Mai giggled, watching them, "_I wonder what it is that they are teasing her about . . ._"

Naru was getting increasingly irritated, "Now would be a good to shut up." Instead of getting louder, his voice went quieter, covering itself in iciness and danger. Now everyone else paled as well.

Amaya-sensei cleared her throat, "It's a legend that may interest you. Apparently a demon that had the form of a gruesome head kept on attacking human villages. Then a priestess with dark hair and dark eyes came from far away and sealed the demon within an oak tree. The seal was supposed to last forever, but if this is the same demon, it clearly isn't."

Naru sighed, "That isn't that much more than what we already knew."

Amaya-sensei's expression didn't change, "Unfortunately, that's all it says."

"May I take a look at it?" Naru requested.

Everyone stared at him, "_Was Naru just . . . POLITE?_" Naru seemed to know what they were thinking as he sent them a glare.

"Here you go," Amaya-sensei handed him the book, "I probably don't have to say this, but be careful with that book. Our librarian would go on a killing spree if one of her books got damaged."

Masako scoffed, "You are obviously exaggerating."

Sayuri and Emi shuddered, speaking at the same time, "No, she's not." The others sweatdropped and made a mental note not to go see the librarian anytime soon.

"Anyways, Sayuri, Emi," Amaya-sensei turned to the two girls, "I've already called your families. They said it's okay for you to stay here and have already dropped off your stuff."

"Wait! What?" Bou-san turned to gape at them, "Are you guys crazy?"

"Yes," Sayuri answered without missing a beat.

"Yes?" Mai groaned, "What kind of answer is that?"

"A truthful one," Emi beamed.

"Honestly, why are you guys so worried?" Sayuri looked genuinely curious.

Ayako cried out in exasperation, "Because there is a freaky head chasing after you so it might be dangerous for you!"

Emi shrugged, "What's life without a little excitement?"

Masako frowned worriedly, "You know that the head might come after you, right."

The two girls simply grinned, saying simultaneously, "Bring it!" The others stared at them before laughing.

"They've got spunk," Yasuhara smirked approvingly.

"You don't seem confused, Amaya-sensei," John observed.

Amaya-sensei smiled knowingly, "Those two girls can take care of themselves as long as they have each other. Together, they can come up with the most idiotic plans that seem like they'll never work but somehow do."

"Excuse me, but do I have any reason to allow you to stay?" Naru raised an eyebrow.

Sayuri nodded with a triumphant grin, "If Emi and I are here, you are more likely to have activity, which will allow you to gather information, thus enabling you to solve the case."

"Unless you prefer sitting around all night, doing nothing except waiting for us to come back," Emi added unnecessarily, ducking behind Yasuhara before Naru could unleash his glare upon her.

"What they said is true, Naru," Lin spoke for the first time since Amaya-sensei had entered, "It's best for them to stay here. That way we can supervise what happens."

"Thanks for supporting me, mon ami~" Sayuri winked at him.

All of sudden Lin felt an urge to go over and pull her into his arms before kissing her senseless. "_What in the world?_" To say that he was puzzled by the abrupt impulse was an understatement. He quickly brushed it aside, deciding that if it was important, he would understand it later.

"Fine," Naru consented, "But you are not to be alone at any moment."

"Wait, doesn't that defeat the purpose of them being here?" Ayako questioned, "I mean, the head doesn't attack unless they are alone, right?"

"We'll see what happens tonight first," Naru told them.

"Looks like it's going to be a slumber party tonight!" Mai cheered.

Naru shot her a glare, "Try to be more professional."

Mai returned the glare, "Couldn't you be nicer?"

"What's the point of that?" Naru looked back at his notes.

Mai's voice filled with sarcasm, "I don't know, maybe because people will like you more!"

"No need," Naru told her.

"Oh yeah? And why is that?" Mai's eye twitched in annoyance.

"Because people like me due to my good looks anyways."

"Y-you narcissist!" Mai yelled.

"Be quiet, Mai. You'll disturb the classes."

"Why you . . ." Mai whispered threateningly. She closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down, "_Deep breath, Mai. It wouldn't be good for you to kill the guy you love . . . Then again, he doesn't love me . . . Well ain't that a cheerful thought . . . I should get over him . . . But he's so nice to me sometimes . . . I can understand why I like him . . ._"

"Tea, Mai."

"_Scratch that! I don't understand why I like that jerk!_" Mai growled as she stormed over to the kettle. Everyone laughed as they realized what she thought. Soon everyone fell into conversation before heading over to dinner.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hurry up, Mai!" Sayuri called out to the girl.

"Coming!" Mai called back.

"You better be," Emi told the girl. The three girls were in the washroom, having excused themselves from dinner. At first, the others had been reluctant to let the girls go by themselves, but had agreed after much persuasion.

"You know if Naru had been there," Sayuri reflected, "he would have never let us go alone."

"You're right . . . He's going to be really mad at me!" Mai groaned.

"Psh," Emi brushed it off, "Don't worry. If we get attacked or something, all we need is for you to scream and Naru will come running in to save. And to boot, Sayuri and I will get saved in the process."

Mai raised her eyebrow incredulous, "But what makes you think that Naru will come and save me?"

"Well, no matter what we say to you, you won't believe us, will you?" Sayuri knew this one from personal experience.

"Yup," Mai agreed.

"Then we'll just have to prove it to you," Emi's mischievousness carried through her voice.

"Huh?" Mai was thoroughly puzzled and, to be honest, a tad bit scared. You never knew what those girls could be up to, especially Emi. Mai gently began to open the stall door, "What do you mean– KYAA!" Emi and Sayuri had just thrown themselves on her, giving her the scare of her life – well, the non-supernatural one at least. "Emi! Sayuri! What was that for?"

Emi grinned cheekily, "We were trying to get Naru to come running."

Sayuri listened for a moment, "Looks like you didn't scream loud enough though. Heck, I thought you would have had practice screaming or something after all the cases you've been put through, but it seems not."

"Oh shut up," Mai glowered at the black-haired girl before reaching to once again open the door, which had closed shut when the girls had tumbled into the washroom stall. But halfway to the doorknob, Mai's hand froze. The temperature began falling rapidly as the lights went out. The only light in the room was from the small window in the top corner. When Mai had first seen it, she had wondered which idiot had put it there. Now she was eternally thankful to it as she realized the possibilities of what was going on.

Emi laughed nervously, "Maybe it's a power outage. I mean, this school washroom is really old so it might have been because of that."It couldn't be the head. It had already attacked them.

"Too bad. I came up with this great idea to kick that Ghost Head Energy Rapist in the face because I couldn't sack him," Sayuri joked. Emi and Mai giggled, despite their nervousness. Sayuri was relieved to see that her technique of joking to ease up tense situations had worked, even if it was only a little. All three knew that this might not be a coincidence. They glanced at each other, communicating their next moment silently.Mai slowly reached over and pulled the stall door open as all three of them waited with bated breath. Nothing was there. The three sighed with relief, closing their eyes in their thankfulness.

"KYAAAA!" As soon as they had opened their eyes, the head had been staring at them right in the face, decayed and covered in blood with that horrid grin. Sayuri slammed the door shut as fear took over them.

Mai yelled, "I thought you were going to kick it in the face!"

"I'd prefer to do that when I'm not crammed in a washroom stall with two other people!" Sayuri shot back.

"What the hell do we do now?" Emi cried out.

"Stay calm?" Sayuri guessed weakly..

Both girls shot her a glare. "Damn it," Mai cursed, "_Naru! Save us!_" The head's laughter echoed through the room.

Emi growled, "I don't know about you guys. But I'm getting tried of waiting for our stupid Prince Charming's to get here."

Sayuri smirked, "Men are useless anyways."

Mai's eyes shone with determination, "It's time I stopped depending on them anyways."

Emi shot Mai a grin, "Don't do that. Then Naru will be all sad cause you don't need him to protect you anymore~" Mai blushed. It was incredible how the girl could still get embarrassed despite being attacked by a demon head.

"Hey," Sayuri shrugged, "what could possibly go wrong?" Mai stared at the girl disbelievingly while Emi just rolled her eyes with a laugh.

"Ready," Mai placed her hands in the 9Kuji symbol.

"Set," Sayuri reached for the doorknob.

"Go!" Emi cried out as they ran out of the stall. The head moved out of their way, leering at them from the side.

"Argh, stupid Ghost Head Energy Rapist," Sayuri yelled at it, throwing a random dish soap bottle at it, which the head dodged with ease, "Stay still!"

"Or just go away!" Emi added.

"Rin! Pyou! Tou! Sha! Kai! Chin! Retsu! Zai! Zen!" Mai chanted, seemingly not affecting the head at all.

"Damn it!" Sayuri watched as the head mocked them, "How the hell do we get rid of it?"

Emi felt panic hit her when she saw Mai collapsing, "Mai!" Emi sprung forward just in time to catch the girl, kneeling down under the weight.

Mai groaned, "It feels so heavy . . . so terrible . . . like it's tearing apart my heart . . ." She could feel waves of depression, anguish and pain hitting her.

Sayuri's eyes widened, "Oh my god . . . It's affecting her as well . . ." Both Emi and Sayuri had already been dealing with the emotions the head brought along with it, but it had never affected anyone else. However, now it was affecting Mai as well . . . And it was stronger too . . .

Emi moaned as she could feel the emotions overwhelming, same as Sayuri, "_Guys . . . Please hurry . . . We can't last much longer . . ._"

Sayuri fell to her knees as she gasped for breath. The emotions were suffocating her, "Damn . . . it . . ." The head watched them as they felt the full brunt of the emotions thrown at them. It began to scornfully move towards them. All three girls knew that if it reached them, it was over. But they couldn't find the strength to move . . .

"_I'm sorry, Naru . . ._" Mai closed her eyes, silent tears streaming down her face as she felt the head's presence fall upon them.

**DAMN! OH NOES! EMI! SAYURI! MAI! LIVE! Anyways, see ya next chapter~**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello again. I know it has been SO long since I last updated. Since December in fact. Wow, I feel so bad now. You might have read the previous chapters again to refresh your memory – I needed to and I wrote it! XD Well, I hope you enjoy.**

Chapter 7

"Mai! Wake up, Mai!"

Mai groaned groggily at the sound of the voice. It sounded so familiar. She wanted to wake up so badly . . . but she was so tired . . .

"Mai, tea!"

Mai shot up straight, "Yes, I'll get it!" Everyone around stared at her before bursting into laughter, mixed with both humour and relief. Surrounding her was the entire SPR team, except for Lin, who was standing a little bit away, but still looking over in their direction. Emi and Sayuri were also sitting in chairs beside her with Ayako watching over them. Yasuhara was also standing protectively near Emi. Mai smiled a little at the realization that struck her as to what Amaya-sensei and Sayuri were always teasing Emi about.

John looked at her worriedly, "Are you alright, Mai?"

Mai looked at him puzzled, "Yes, of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

Everyone simultaneously groaned. Bou-san looked at her exasperated, "Don't you remember what happened?"

"In the washroom . . ." Ayako coaxed.

Mai's eyes widened as she recalled all the events, "Oh god!" Her eyes quickly swept the room to see if the head was still there, finally noticing that she was in the base now.

"Don't worry, Mai," Masako reassured, "The demon isn't here."

Mai relaxed considerably before turning to them, "What happened?"

"I'd like to know that as well," Emi crossed her arms, looking at the SPR team.

"Don't worry," Sayuri winked, "We won't run away or anything."

Yasuhara cleared his throat, "Well . . ."

_Flashback_

"_Where is Mai?" That was Naru's first question as soon as he walked in._

"_So, Naru, you decided to eat something? About damn time," Ayako nodded approvingly._

"_Where is Mai?" Naru repeated._

"_She went to the washroom with Emi and Sayuri," Yasuhara gestured down the hall, opposite to the way that Naru had come._

"_And you let them go?" Naru raised his eyebrow, "Alone?"_

"_Yeah . . ."Bou-san's voice trailed off as he realized what was going to happen._

"_Are you stupid?" The team winced at Naru's blunt words, "You let Mai – a danger magnet who cannot defend herself– go with the two targets of a possible demon who has lived for centuries?" _

_The team looked at each other, understanding the full extent of what could happen, "_Oh god . . ._"_

_Masako stood up, "I'll go check-up on them."_

_John followed suit, "I'll come with you." Naru nodded, satisfied. However, that would not last for long._

_Lin ran into the room, "Naru! The temperature of the area around the washrooms is dropping rapidly!"_

"_Damn it!" Naru sprinted out of the room, quickly followed by the others. Lin quickly followed, knowing only one thing could make Naru run so fast: Mai._

"Sayuri and Hanashima-san also weren't there . . ._" Lin realized with a jolt. By now, he had already reached the front of the group, being one of the fastest runners in the entire team._

"_Mai!" Bou-san slammed his fist against the door, only to be thrown back._

"_Bou-san!" Ayako rushed to his side, "Are you alright?"_

"_Yeah," Bou-san groaned, rubbing the back of his head, "What the hell was that?"_

"_A barrier?" Yasuhara guessed._

"_It seems so," John confirmed._

"_This barrier . . . It's different," Masako spoke quietly, half to herself, "It's not made of spirit energy like a humans or normal spirits. It seems darker though . . . Almost like . . . a demon's . . ."_

_Naru grimly processed the meaning of those words, "_A demon's . . . There's no way Mai will survive if that demon attacks her . . ._" Wind started to gather around Naru, a piercing sound echoing around them._

"_Naru!" Everyone understood what he was going to do – and why he was going to do it. However, they also knew that he would probably die if he uses his powers and Mai would never forgive herself. They had to stop him, but how?_

_WHAM!_

_Lin smacked Naru on a pressure point, momentarily paralyzing the boy. Normally this wouldn't be enough, but Lin had placed a small temporary seal that kept Naru from using his powers._

"_Lin! What are you doing?" Naru growled angrily._

"_Stopping you," Lin replied calmly._

"_Mai might die," Naru shouted._

"_If you die because of her, she'll die on the inside," Lin told the boy._

"_That's better than her being dead," Naru muttered._

_That was it for Lin. He grabbed Naru by the collar of the shirt. "Better, Naru? Are you an idiot?" Lin yelled furiously, "Her never smiling, her never being happy, her only crying: is that what you think is 'better'? Get a hold of yourself, you idiot!" Naru didn't say anything, only looking away, refusing to meet Lin's eyes. Lin let go of Naru, knowing that Naru's head was clear now._

"_How are we going to break the barrier?" Bou-san brought them back to the subject at hand._

"_If we don't do something soon, Mai, Sayuri and Emi might end up dead," Ayako looked at the door worriedly._

"_Who better to defeat a demon's barrier than a demon himself?" Lin turned to face the door._

"_Eh?" Yasuhara looked at Lin puzzled, "What do you mean?" Lin didn't respond. Instead he raised his fingers to his lips and let out a sharp whistle. A slight breeze responded._

"_His shiki . . ." Masako answered the question running through everyone's mind._

"_Oh yeah! His shiki are actually demons that work for him, aren't they!" Bou-san remembered._

"_But are they strong enough to break that demon's barrier?" Ayako pondered worriedly._

"_I don't know if they are as strong as the demon inside," Lin told them, facing the barrier, "But when put together, they are definitely strong enough to take down a barrier." Lin murmured something under his breath and five beams seemed to shoot towards the barrier, pressing against it, causing it to begin to crack. Waves of energy emanated from the barrier as the beams continued to break through it before finally shattering the barrier. As soon as the barrier broke, everyone rushed forward, nearly breaking down the washroom door. The sight before them petrified them. It was the most gruesome head they had ever set their eyes upon – including Urado's But what scared them even more was that the head was almost upon Mai, Emi and Sayuri, all of them unconscious._

_Monk sprung into action, "Naumaku Sanmanda Bazaradan Kan!" The demon head looked at them for a moment and vanished._

"_Mai! Sayuri! Emi!" John called as he ran forward. Neither of the girls responded._

_Yasuhara gently shook Emi, "Emi, wake up!"_

"_Stop it," Ayako swiftly arrived beside Yasuhara, simultaneously checking Emi and Mai. After a few moments, she relaxed, "Don't worry. It looks like they are just drained of energy. They'll be fine, though quite tired. I'll just check over Sayuri and we can go." But when she turned, Lin was already carrying Sayuri gently in his arms, bridal-style._

"_I already looked over her. She's the same as Mai and Hanashima-san," Lin told them expressionlessly, "We can go." With that, he turned and left the washroom. _

_Naru picked up Mai, "One of you take Emi and come after us." Then he followed after Lin._

"_Who knew Lin knew about medical stuff," Bou-san whistled._

"_Well, I suppose someone had to deal with the emergencies before we came along," John reflected._

"_What I find interesting is that Lin immediately went to Sayuri as soon as we got in," Ayako smirked._

_Masako giggled, "Same goes for Naru in Mai's case." Everyone grinned mischievously at the idea of perhaps torturing Naru with this detail. They were conveniently ignoring the fact that Naru could easily turn it back on them._

_John laughed nervously at the evil grins everyone wore, "Well, maybe we should go after them. After all, it will be troublesome if they got angry at us." No one could deny that._

"_Righto!" Bou-san moved to pick up Emi, but before he could, Yasuhara swept her up in his arms._

"_Well, let's get going," Yasuhara beamed before walking towards the door._

_One thought ran through everyone's mind, "_Does Yasuhara . . . like Emi?_"_

_Yasuhara stopped and grinned at them, "Yup!" Then he walked out._

"_WHAT?"_

_End Flashback_

"Well?" Mai coaxed.

Bou-san looked at her puzzled, "What?"

"Well, what happened?" Sayuri was getting impatient. Everyone exchanged glances. Lin and Naru weren't exactly keen on letting the girls know about their outbursts. Meanwhile, the others didn't want the girls as well as Naru and Lin to know about their conversation after the two men had left because they got the feeling they wouldn't make it out unharmed – physically or mentally.

Emi raised her eyebrow at the secret glances, "Why are you guys so cautious about saying anything?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Ayako shook her head hurriedly, "All that happened was Lin noticed the temperatures getting really cold and came to tell us, which made us realize that you guys were probably in danger. So we ran here as fast as we could."

"But then we encountered a barrier, which was made by the demon so we couldn't break through it," John continued.

"Then how did you get through?" Mai questioned.

"Lin's shiki combined their abilities to break through," Yasuhara answered.

"When you got through, you guys came in, chased off the demon and carried us here," Sayuri summed up.

"Yeah, basically," Bou-san nodded.

"I see," Emi grinned, patting Bou-san on the back, "Well, thanks, guys! I thought I was going to have to transform into Sailor Moon or something to scare Mr. GHER off." Everyone laughed at the image of Emi in a Sailor Moon outfit.

"She actually came as that for Halloween," Sayuri told them laughingly.

"And you came as a guy," Emi shot back.

"I even managed to fool everyone," Sayuri grinned triumphantly. These images just made everyone laugh even harder.

"Anyways," Naru silenced them with a glare, "if you can stop being childish, we can continue on."

"What do you mean, Naru?" Mai asked, puzzled.

Naru sighed, "I meant, why would the demon attack not only twice in a day, but also when you were there?"

Yasuhara nodded, "That's true. We weren't expecting it."

"And this time, it was able to block its presence from me completely," Masako told them, biting her lip, "It's gotten a lot stronger and that really worries me." John placed his hand on her shoulder comfortingly. She smiled up at him gratefully.

"We already know that this demon feeds off fear and terror," Ayako reviewed.

"But why would a demon stay in this school?" Bou-san questioned, "Wouldn't it wander to spread as much fear as possible?"

Naru nodded, "That's true. It appears the seal that the priestess placed on the demon has not been fully released."

"Then, the demon's trying to gather enough energy to free itself from the seal completely?" Emi's eyes widened at the possibilities of that.

"And due its grudge against the priestess whom sealed it, it probably wants revenge. However, since she has already passed onto the next world, it is probably passing on its vengeance to the students who share similar physical characteristics and high spiritual power," Lin inferred.

"But how would we exorcise it?" Mai asked.

John frowned, "We cannot burn down the building as we did in the Urado case since it appears this demon is attached to the land itself."

"Burning this building down is definitely not an option," Naru nodded, showing his agreement, "The demon is most likely attached to the land itself and burning the building or land would probably only damage the seal."

"I doubt we have much time since it has already had so many victims," Sayuri worried.

Naru turned to Lin, "I want you to accompany me tomorrow so we can do some research on this demon and how to destroy or permanently seal it."

"Not running away this time, Naru-chan?" Ayako smirked.

Naru shot her a glare, "I will finish this case as I have done every other one. On top of that, it would be pointless. Eventually this demon would get lose and since it has imposed the image of the priestess on those it attacks, Mai would most likely be attacked afterwards as well."

"So, you just want to protect Mai," Bou-san teased.

Mai blushed, "_Oh my god . . . Could it be that . . . Naru actually cares about me . . ._"

Naru sighed, "It's necessary to protect her as otherwise it would cause trouble at the office."

Mai's heart dropped, "_I should have known . . ._"

Yasuhara nudged Mai, trying to cheer her up, "At least that means he won't fire you under almost any circumstances."

Emi laughed, "If your boss won't fire you when a demon is chasing you, it means it is almost impossible for you to get fired."

Sayuri smirked, "Man, I wish I had a boss like that."

John looked at Sayuri surprised, "I didn't know you worked."

Sayuri grinned, "I don't." John looked absolutely puzzled. Masako, catching on that this was logic that only made sense to Sayuri and perhaps to Emi, placed her hand on John's arm to catch his attention and shook her head, telling him to let it go. John acquiesced and settled down beside Masako, both clearly comfortable in each other's presence.

Mai watched the two with a smile, "_Looks like we've got a nice couple on the way~_" Sayuri and Emi glanced at her, exchanging a grin that clearly said they were thinking the same thing.

Naru interrupted their thoughts, "Tomorrow, I want Matsuzaki-san to write sutras for the base and bedrooms. Also write them for Hanashima-san, Hoshizuki-san and Mai. Afterwards, accompany Hara-san on a walk to see if she can sense the demon. Bou-san and John will perform exorcisms in the rooms where each target's last attack was: rooms 216, 120, 104, 232, Lecture Room B and the south staircase. Yasuhara will monitor the exorcisms from the base. For now, you can all go to bed."

"Thank you, your majesty," Mai muttered sarcastically. Naru turned his glare on her, amazingly having heard her.

Bou-san chortled, "Looks like Emi isn't the only one with a death wish, eh, Mai."

"What about you, Sayuri?" Ayako joked, "Do you have a death wish too?"

"Maybe," Sayuri grinned, "Death is my lover after all."

John choked, "E-excuse me?"

Emi laughed, "It's another one of her running jokes."

Masako covered her mouth, "You get stranger and stranger."

Sayuri smirked, "I noticed."

"As entertaining as this is," Emi yawned, "I'm really tired. Mr GHER really drains a lot out of you."

Ayako nodded, "It's unhealthy for teenagers to not sleep since it is necessary for them to properly develop." She looked up to see everyone staring at her. "What?"

Bou-san whistled, "You sound like a real doctor."

"I am a doctor, you stupid monk!" Ayako shrieked, hitting him over the head with her purse.

"Ow!" Bou-san yowled before shooting his comeback, "Well, I just figured that you were a quack like always!"

"What did you say? !"

"You heard me!"

"Whoa," Yasuhara called out jokingly, "Save your flirting for private areas please. You're making me jealous."

"You still have me," Emi winked.

Yasuhara clasped her hand, "How true, my beloved."

"Wow, shouldn't we be telling you guys to stop flirting?" Mai teased.

"Hey," Sayuri shrugged with a grin, "you can't say it's not entertaining."

"As wonderful as that is," an icy voice broke through, dripping with sarcasm, "since you guys aren't doing anything useful, I'd prefer it if you leave."

Lin watched in amusement as everyone hustled out with speed. He turned back to his monitors, putting his headphones on again. It was going to be a long night.

**Well, I hope you liked that. I'll try to update quickly, but there's another story I have to try and finish as well so I will do my best! Thank you.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Mai woke up to sun shining in her face. Yawning as she stretched, she looked around to see that all the girls had left. "_Last one to wake up again, huh. I bet Naru won't like that._" With a sigh, she rushed to the bathroom to get ready for the rest of her day before heading towards the base.

Inside Emi and Sayuri were waiting for her. "Yo," Sayuri greeted, "Took you long enough."

"Here's your protective thingamabobber," Emi handed Mai the sutra that Ayako had made for her, grinning.

"Make sure Ayako never hears you saying that," Mai warned with a laugh.

"Gotcha," Emi agreed.

Sayuri suggested, "What do you say to us heading to the courtyard? We could eat the food Ayako got us first before going there. It's great weather." The others agreed and gulped down their breakfast before going on their way after telling Yasuhara where they would be.

As soon as they reached the courtyard, Emi began her teasing, "So your Prince Charming really did come through for you last time, huh."

Mai blushed, "He's not my Prince Charming! Heck, he's not even charming!"

"But you still love him," Sayuri teased.

"What about you two?" Mai turned the conversation back on them, "Aren't there some people you're interested in?"

"Yup," Sayuri said without hesitation.

"Eh?" Mai blinked surprised at Sayuri's bluntness, "Then who?"

"Death."

"Again!" Mai cried out while Emi burst into laughter.

"Don't worry," Emi sputtered, "It's one of her main things to say along with "I'm a guy". It's actually pretty fun to watch the reactions."

"That's exactly why I say it," Sayuri smirked.

"I wonder how Lin would react if he heard that . . ." Mai pondered amused

"He'd wonder how soon he could get John to exorcise me," Sayuri joked.

"Or when he could get you therapy," Emi grinned.

"Hey, I'm going to become a psychologist!" Sayuri protested.

"And as you often say, who better to treat a psycho than a psycho herself," Emi countered.

Mai laughed, "You guys are so odd."

"We realized," the two chorused dryly, making Mai laugh even harder.

"Hm," Sayuri wore a thoughtful expression.

"What is it?" Mai asked.

"I was just thinking that you are really cute when you have that smile," Sayuri observed, "I can see why guys like you. Heck, if I was a guy, I'd probably be interested in you too."

"Though Naru would scare you off," Emi teased.

"Trust me, guys," Mai said, "Naru wouldn't care."

"I'll bet five bucks that he would," Emi challenged.

"I'll bet ten," Sayuri added.

Mai shook her head, "You guys are delusional. There's no way. Naru could never feel that way for me." Her expression turned sorrowful.

"If that's how it is," Emi exchanged glances with Sayuri, "come with us. We'll show you something."

"Um, okay . . ." Mai raised her eyebrow curiously. They look more solemn than usual. In fact, this is the only time she had ever seen them actually serious.

The girls quickly finished off their breakfast before heading off behind the school. Sayuri stopped, gesturing for Mai to go in front of them, "Here it is."

Mai followed their eyes to . . . a magnificent tree. Standing far above them. Reaching towards the heavens with its branches. Her silky leaves drifting towards the ground, yet still remaining a distance from them, attached to their main body. The feeling of the tree's essence surrounding her with every step Mai took towards her. Until Mai could finally touch her, pressing her hand against the tree's main body.

"Salix alba," Emi's voice echoed out, "which flowers from around May to about September."

"The Weeping White Willow," Sayuri's voice blended into the air, "with a lifespan of 70 years"

Mai turned to look at them, "Who is she?"

"We don't know," Emi looked up into the foliage, "But we do know she is no ordinary tree."

"_I can agree with that,_" Mai thought. Just the feeling of its presence was enough to show that the tree was more than just normal. Not magical, but . . .

"Mystical, right," Sayuri smiled when Mai looked at her in surprise, "You're an open book, Mai. Besides we thought the same thing when we were here."

"Other than the feeling here," Mai gestured to the Willow, "is there anything else that suggests that she is more than a simple tree?"

"You really have been around Naru too long," Emi smirked, "You even sound like him."

"Ha ha," Mai glared at Emi.

"Well, for one," Sayuri said, "The feeling of love everlasting."

"Huh?" Mai blinked.

"You don't know the story because you aren't from here," Emi said, "This is how it goes . . ."

_It was 700 years ago. There existed a priestess, one who was not like the other ladies and priestesses. She did not stay quiet and alone in her shrine beside the great White Willow. Instead, she wandered through the woods and villages surrounding her shrine, helping and laughing with others. She was what one would call a Free Spirit. No one could contain her. There were those who disapproved of her refusal to be a 'proper lady', but nonetheless adored her for it. It was how she was. _

_Also there was a warrior. After the war near his land, he had taken up travelling, despite having been offered land for his incredible skills and courage. Through his travels, he came upon the priestess' shrine. Staying there for a while, he, like the others, became fond of the priestess. Learning of the secrets of her soul, telling her his, the two fell in love. No one could understand how. He was silent and laidback, never talking to others unless there was need to do so. So different from the priestess' body and mind, but so close to her heart. This was the key to their love._

_However, their peaceful times did not last long. A demon struck destruction into the villages it entered and terror into the ones it didn't. It would only be a matter of time before it reached the shrine and the villages around. And the warrior could not allow that – not as long as he lived. The priestess did not seek to stop. She may be a Free Spirit, but she was also a Nurturer. His need to protect those he cared for was something she knew she couldn't stop. With the vow to wait for him, she let him go, sending prayers to the heavens and love to him._

_Even so, tragedy bloomed from their love. The warrior's body returned, but his mind and spirit were gone. The warrior she had given her heart to was dead. Never to return to her. However, she did not let her grief and pain stop her. She refused to. Because you see, just as her warrior's body had arrived in the village, the demon had as well. With her sutras being powered by her emotions, she sealed the demon away into the land._

_Despite the victory, she knew that the demon would come back. It was due to her weakness that she could not destroy the demon and she could not allow that to harm those in the future. So underneath the White Willow where her love, her warrior and she had stood, the priestess let go of her body and drifted into the guardian tree. There she weeps for the loss of warrior and waits for the day that she may be free of her duty so she may join her lover. Once more. For all eternity._

"Wow . . ." Mai breathed. Though it was only supposed to be a legend, a story, it seemed so real. Something in Mai told her it was real. Or perhaps it was the Willow telling her that it was real. The sorrow that had encased the tree as the tale had unfolded seemed to be more than enough for her.

"Most don't believe it," Sayuri gazed at the tree, "It seems only those who have spiritual powers can feel the essence of the Willow. And those who do feel it often come here for peace of mind, her presence or something else."

"She's become something of a caregiver to those of us who need someone to go," Emi looked up, "Sometimes you just start telling her all your problems and the feelings in the air seem to shift according to one's words and emotions."

"I can understand that," Mai's eyes joined the others, turning up to the tree.

"There's more," Sayuri grinned, "It looks like Ms Willow here is a bit of a matchmaker. Every time a pair that have slightly romantic feelings hang out here for a prolonged time, it seems like they come together."

"Is that another legend here?" Mai questioned.

"Nope, just something we have noticed," Emi stated, "And we've studied it. It's definitely true. There's a pattern here and it doesn't occur anywhere else. Not even where there are other willow trees, red roses or anything. It's like the priestess wants others to feel the love she did, even though hers didn't last long enough."

"True to her character, wouldn't you say," Sayuri laughed.

Mai looked at them, "Have you told anyone else about your idea?"

"No. We don't have any definite proof," Emi shrugged,

"Yeah, but there is one thing about this tree that no one can deny," Sayuri returned her eyes to meet Mai's.

"What's that?" Mai asked.

"This White Willow has been in full bloom for 700 years."

**Damn, that's a long time. Then again, it's been a long time since I updated my story too, huh. Sorry, guys. Thanks for waiting though. See ya next chapter.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

_Mai's eyes opened to look upon the White Willow, Gene standing beside it. _

"_It's good to see you, Mai," he spoke welcomingly. Mai didn't speak, instead she rushed forward to give him a hug. He laughed, returning the embrace, "Good to know you feel the same way."_

"_I missed you," Mai answered._

"_I did too," Gene replied with a smile before growing serious, "But I have something important to show you. We don't have much time."_

_Mai pulled away from him with a determined smile, "I'm ready." Gene smiled as the White Willow faded away, allowing another scene to take place._

_A lady with black hair and dark brown eyes stood on a hill in front of a shrine, clearly a priestess from her clothing. Embracing her was a tall man, wearing a warrior's armour. With a start, Mai realized that these were the priestess and warrior from the story Emi and Sayuri had told her._

"_Return soon and safely, Haku," the priestess whispered._

"_I will, Tsukiko," the warrior, Haku, promised, "Even if my life leaves me, even if my body is destroyed, I will return to you. One way or another." He stroked away the tears falling from his lover's eyes with his thumb, "This I vow."_

_Tsukiko smiled sadly up at the man that she had come to love, "I will wait for you. Always. There will never be another."_

_Haku chuckled, "As cruel as this makes me sound, that is very good. I don't think I could tolerate any other man near you, even as a spirit."_

_His words coaxed a tearful laugh from her, "I'm okay with that." Haku smiled ruefully before capturing his priestess' lips with his, showing without words how much he wished to remain by her side; how much he loved her. But they had to break apart. Tsukiko watched as her warrior mounted his steed and rode off after looking upon her one last time._

_Mai turned to Gene, "Emi and Sayuri told me this story. Does this mean that the priestess and the demon in our case are the same as the ones in the story?"_

_Gene nodded, "Yes, but do you know why the priestess could only seal away the demon?"_

_Mai furrowed her eyebrows, "Wasn't it because she didn't have enough power? I mean, Naru says a demon is nearly impossible to destroy. It must have taken an immense amount of power to just seal it away."_

"_That is true, but her emotions provided her with extra power and she already had incredibly strong spiritual powers," Gene explained, "And remember, Mai, the demon destroyed her lover. How would you react towards a demon if it had destroyed Naru?"_

"_I would take it down no matter what the cost to me," Mai relied with hesitation, blushing slightly as she realized what she had said. Then Mai's eyes widened with understanding, "Tsukiko-san would have done the same thing . . . but why not?"_

_Gene gestured to the changing scene, "Watch." _

_It was the same place, but now fire took the place of the villages as the smoke and screams covered the sky. Clearly the demon head had already arrived. Tsukiko stood a few feet in front of them, beside the White Willow, her priestess garb torn and bloody, tears staining her face. Mai could understand why the priestess cried, knowing her lover was dead. But as Mai looked in front of the priestess, horror and confusion struck her heart._

_In front of the priestess was the same man who had embraced Tsukiko only a little while ago, standing there with the same horrid grin that the demon head had worn when he had visited Mai in the bathroom._

"_What's going on? !" Mai turned to face Gene, terror haunting her eyes, "He was supposed to be dead! Gone! I don't understand!"_

"_Do you remember how the tale went?" Gene asked, watching as Mai nodded, "They said, '_The warrior's body returned, but his mind and spirit were gone. The warrior she had given her heart to was dead._' They never said that he had died. Only that the warrior no longer existed within that body. Instead, the demon head possessed that body."_

"_That's why she didn't destroy it," Mai whispered, tears trailing down, "She couldn't. She could never destroy the man she loved . . . not even if it was just her body." Gene didn't speak, simply pulling her into his arms as they heard Tsukiko's voice echo out._

"_I shall seal you away, Demon. Forever, I shall be your enemy," Tsukiko yelled as her power surrounded her, "This I vow!" Tears fell harder as she repeated the words of her lover. The whistle of the seal's power merged with the roars of the demon as it was pulled into the ground along with the body it occupied._

_Mai watched as the priestess fell to her knees, touching the ground where her warrior's body laid underneath._

_A rueful smile graced the priestess' lips. "When you said you would return to me one way or another, I don't think this is what you meant," Tsukiko murmured, "But I vowed to wait for you. And so I shall. Here in the White Willow that has witnessed everything. So since you know where to find me, Haku, you better not make me wait too long." With those words, with those tears, the priestess' eyes drifted closed as Tsukiko's spirit left her body and entered the White Willow._

xxxxxxxxxx

Mai woke up with tears rolling down her cheeks as Masako, Ayako, Sayuri and Emi looked upon her with concern. "Guys . . ." It was all she could manage before she clung to Ayako, allowing the woman to soothe her.

When she looked back after calming down, Ayako and Masako guided her to the base, Emi and Sayuri having gone ahead to alert the others.. She realized that John, Yasuhara, Bou-san, Naru and Lin had already gathered.

"Mai, are you alright?" Bou-san asked anxiously, ever the worried father.

"It's true . . ." Mai murmured, meeting Emi and Sayuri's eyes, "The story about the White Willow is true."

"Wait, what story?" Ayako looked at them in question.

Surprisingly Naru answered, "It's a tale from 700 years ago about the White Willow tree outside the base."

Emi blinked in shock, "You know the story."

"It came up in our research," Naru dismissed before explaining to the others, "According to the story, a priestess existed on this land with a warrior, who she was in love with. When the demon head attacked the nearby villages, the warrior left to defeat it, but in the words of the legend, '_The warrior's body returned, but his mind and spirit were gone. The warrior she had given her heart to was dead._' When the demon head arrived, she sealed it away and then entered the White Willow tree to make sure that the demon head is never unleashed. Though, because of the wording, I believe there is more to what happened to the warrior than that. My guess is that the warrior was possessed by the demon, which is why the priestess was unable to destroy it." He turned to Mai, "Did your dream tell you the same thing, Mai?"

Speechless, Mai nodded, "_He was able to figure all that out by himself?_" It was times like this that made Mai realize that Naru really was a genius.

"Now that we know of the priestess and warrior–"

"Tsukiko and Haku," Mai interrupted without meeting the others' eyes as tears gathered up again, "That's their names. Tsukiko and Haku."

Naru gazed at her for a few moments, "As I was saying, before Mai interrupted . . ."

Mai looked down, "_Of course he won't listen to what I say–_"

". . . . Tsukiko and Haku to assist us."

Mai's head shot up, "What?"

Naru glared at her, "I said, that we need to use the research and the information that the story of Tsukiko and Haku to assist us."

Mai didn't even register the glare, "_He listened . . . to me . . ._" A small smile graced her lips at the thought.

"But how are we going to defeat a demon?" John questioned.

Masako had the same worry, "Last time, we burned down the mansion, but we can't do that here. Especially since it has already gained power."

"According to the legend's description, it is only at half his strength at the moment," Naru described.

"So if we all join our exorcisms, we should be able to destroy it, right," Bou-san deduced, Naru nodding in response.

"There is a lot of power in the trees here. They're all living trees and really pure," Ayako told them, "My exorcisms will be a lot stronger. Especially near the White Willow."

Lin spoke for the first time, "My shiki would probably be able to hold it while you perform the exorcisms."

"But how will we know where it'll attack or when?" Yasuhara pointed out, "We can't use Emi, Sayuri or Mai as bait, even if they are its targets."

"Why not?" Sayuri replied, "I'm down with it if we can get rid of Mr. GHER."

Emi nodded, "Besides, if you guys are there to protect us, it should be fairly safe, right."

However Naru shook his head, "It is clear from the way the demon used Haku's body to dissuade Tsukiko that it is quite intelligent. It would never strike when we are around, instead waiting it out until we leave, even for a second."

"The White Willow," Mai whispered, drawing everyone's attention, before looking up as she spoke with the confidence that accompanied her psychic revelations, "I don't know how I know, but Tsukiko is also partially the reason I was able to see that dream. Because of that, she's awoken, even though she hasn't left the Willow. The demon head won't be able to resist coming there if Sayuri, Emi and I are there."

"It's too dangerous," Bou-san argued, outraged at the idea.

"There's no other way," Mai told them.

"Mai, that's insane," Ayako disputed, "We'll find another way."

"But this has end now," Mai shook her head, "We won't get another chance like this again!"

"No." With his quiet refusal, Naru silenced both sides, "As your boss, I forbid it." Mai looked at him to argue, but something in his eyes stopped her. Something she had never seen before.

"Sorry to say this," Sayuri looked at them in determination, "But even if you guys have rights over Mai as her second family, Emi and I are not like that. I personally am going to do this. It's my choice."

Emi shrugged apologetically, "Sorry, guys, but I agree. It's the one way to end this. I'll be there as well. We suggest that you guys get ready."

Bou-san gaped at them, "Are you guys mental? You could be killed if you do this!"

"We will be anyways if we don't," Sayuri shot back.

"Like it or not," Emi crossed her arms, "This is probably the last chance we'll get before Sayuri and I are drained completely. It's a 'do or die' situation."

Naru glared at the two of them, "Unfortunately, since I took on this case, I took on responsibility for your lives as well. And if you insist on doing this, then I can't stop you. But know your risks before you do this."

"We already do," Sayuri nodded gravely.

"Then we'll do this tomorrow night. I advise everyone to get your rest. You will need your energy," Naru ended the conversation. Bou-san and Ayako grumbled in solid dissatisfaction, but went off. Masako and John followed suit. Naru turned to Lin and Yasuhara, "Are you alright for tonight?"

Lin nodded, "Yes, we'll be fine."

Naru nodded before turning to Mai, "I'll take you to your room. Who knows what trouble you would get into otherwise." Mai fumed over being treated like a child, but followed anyways.

That left Yasuhara, Lin, Emi and Sayuri in the base. Yasuhara looked at Emi, "May I talk to you alone for a few moments?"

Emi didn't hesitate when she answered, "Sure."

"I'll take your place," Sayuri told the college student, "It'll be a while before I can sleep again anyways." She turned to Lin, "If that's alright with you?" But this time, there was no answer from the stoic man. "_Oh damn . . . This isn't good . . ._"

Emi shot Sayuri a worried glance, who responded by gesturing for the other girl to shoo. With a slight frown, Emi left the room with Yasuhara.

"Is there anything in particular that you need me to do?" Sayuri asked.

"You don't have to be here," Lin responded flatly, "I can handle this alone."

The way his frosty response dismissed her so easily triggered her anger. Already short-tempered, being treated as a bother infuriated her pride more than anything else. "_But two can play the game of the 'Ice Princess',_" Sayuri thought with cold satisfaction. "Well, unfortunately for both of us, I already promised those two and I have a tendency to want to make my friends happy, Lin-san," Sayuri said with a condescending smile that was meant to aggravate others, purposely reverting to his last name.

Lin looked her with an arched eyebrow, "That is what your words say, Hoshizuki-san, but your selfish actions say something else."

Sayuri narrowed her eyes, hiding the quick pang at his calling her by her last name in the guise of contempt. "Well, that's good for you. But unfortunately, you have no right to judge me, seeing as you barely know me."

Lin nodded expressionlessly, "You are right. I apologize." Then he turned back to the monitors, placing on his headphones, clearly indicating that it was the end of the conversation.

Sayuri leaned back in her chair, already regretting her words. But her pride would not allow her to ask for forgiveness. Pride: her biggest fault. Sayuri sat up straight. There was no way she was getting sleep tonight, reaching for a pencil and paper. Might as well try to get her feelings together, though she seriously doubted that writing poetry would help her on this occasion. She sighed, "_I seriously hope that Emi's conversation with Yasuhara is going better than this one._"

**Wow, cliffhanger! Especially for Bree-chan, huh. XD I feel bad for Sayuri though! DX NOES! Hope this turns out okay. Well, see ya next chapter~**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Emi followed the unusually solemn Yasuhara as he led them to the White Willow. "_Well, at least we're in a love-friendly place . . ._" She glanced nervously at her friend as he stood facing the tree, away from her, "So . . . What's up?"

"You're not going to change your mind, are you." It wasn't a question.

Emi hesitated before answering, "Yeah, I won't. I mean, I can't. If I don't do this now, I won't ever be able to stand up to this fear of that creeper."

Yasuhara turned to look at her, a serious expression on his face, "But you could still die."

"I know," Emi whispered, casting her eyes down. A large space of time passed with silence before Emi heard a resigned sigh. She looked up in surprise.

Yasuhara ran his hand through his hair, "I know I can't do anything to stop your decision so I might as well make sure that you're in the least danger possible."

Emi's eyes twinkled, "And how do you plan to do that, O Mighty Demon Slayer?"

He smirked, "By making you promise to keep yourself safe?"

Emi's lips turned up into a smirk as well, "Think you can do that?"

He measured her triumphant expression with her eyes, "Hm, maybe if I take you by surprise . . ."

She raised her eyebrow, "And how do you plan on doing th– "

Suddenly his lips were on hers, a gentle kiss as his hand found its way to the small of her back, pulling her into him. Emi wrapped her arms around his neck, returning the kiss. She felt Yasuhara smirk slightly before he deepened the kiss, placing his other hand at the nape of her neck, tilting her head for better access. When they broke apart, it wasn't because they want to. No, only because they had to for air and they had enough life-threatening situations to deal with.

Yasuhara pulled her into his arms, "Does that convince you?"

A blush stained her cheeks as Emi answered with a shy smile, "Only if this is official. I'm not the type to play around, Yasuhara."

She could practically feel his grin as he took her hand to lead her back into the school, "Good, I don't think I'd like the idea of you with other guys. I'm quite the jealous guy."

"Yeah, right," Emi muttered, "You'd probably just do something embarrassing to scare the guys away . . ."

Yasuhara laughed, "True, but I'd still be jealous."

Emi sighed, "Oh poor me, taken prisoner."

"Yes, poor you. But don't worry," he winked at her, "I'll make it worth your while."

Emi laughed, "Good to know."

"Oh, and Emi?"

"Hm?"

"It's Osamu."

Emi smiled, "Osamu it is."

xxxxxxxxxxx

Mai walked through the quiet halls, "_Why did they put the rooms so far from the base?_" She didn't know how much more of this awkward silence she could take. On top of that, she was curious about that look in Naru's eyes before, "_Why was he so strict about me not being bait? It would have helped solve the case._"

"Is there something you want to tell me?"

Mai almost fell face-first, "_Looks like he knows what I'm thinking without even looking at me._" For some reason, this made Mai a bit happy . . . "_Yup, I'm doomed . . ._"

"What?" Naru glanced at her, "Did my good looks leave you dumbfounded?"

"What?" Mai glared, "I was just wondering why you didn't want me to act as bait even though it would have helped us exorcise the demon."

There was a moment of silence before he answered. "I have my reasons."

"_Wow, big surprise with the answer there,_" Mai sighed. They returned to the awkward silence. Luckily, they soon reached the girls' bedroom. "Well, good night." No answer. No surprise. But as Mai began to open the door, she heard him.

"It's because I don't want you in danger."

"Eh?" Mai turned to see if she had heard right.

But Naru didn't repeat himself. "It's your problem if you didn't hear it." With that, he walked off, leaving Mai to stare after his back.

Mai turned over his answer in her mind, blushing as she fully realized what he had said. She smiled, "_He may have not confessed his undying love or anything, but I'll definitely take it._" Mai was more than happy to know that Naru did actually care. With a smile, Mai entered her bedroom to fall into a soft dreamless sleep.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Mai woke up beaming. No nightmares. Just the memory of Naru's words. Filled with energy, she rushed through her morning routine, bumping into Emi and Sayuri as she ran out.

"Whoa, hold it there, cowgirl!" Emi laughed.

"We were just going to get some breakfast. Wanna come along?" Sayuri offered. Mai nodded in agreement and on their way they went.

"Hm . . ." Emi observed the big grin on Mai's face as the three sat down with their food, "Why do you look so happy, missy?"

Mai looked away and muttered, "Nothing . . ."

"Ha!" Emi pointed enthusiastically, "Something happened with Naru!"

"Shh!" Mai gestured frantically, "What if someone hears you?"

Sayuri glanced around, "No one's here."

"So spill," Emi leaned forward excitedly.

"Well it's nothing much, but . . ." Mai gave them a quick version of the conversation between Naru and herself when he dropped her off at her bedroom.

"Oh. My. God!" Emi squealed.

Sayuri gave a slight grin, "Looks like this is the start of something interesting~"

Mai blushed, denying it, but nothing she said could change their opinion. So she decided to change the subject, "But it looks like I'm not the only one who's supremely happy, Emi. Did something happen with Yasuhara~"

"Hm?" Emi blinked, "Yeah, we're going out."

"What? !" Mai exclaimed.

On the other hand, Sayuri gave a light chuckle, "Well, ain't you something? Seducing young men before the week is over." Emi stuck out her tongue, finally giving in to Mai's pleas and Sayuri's nudges as she told them how the couples had gotten together.

Emi turned to Sayuri, "Alright. Now you tell us what's been bugging you."

Sayuri raised an eyebrow, "And what makes you think that something's bothering me?"

Emi didn't budge, "Cause you've been acting depressed, though you're clearly trying not to."

A moment passed before Sayuri chuckled. She leaned in close to Emi, their noses nearly touching, slightly surprising Emi and shocking Mai speechless as she whispered, "Who knows? Maybe I'm just jealous of Yasuhara-kun for getting you."

A new voice sounded out behind them, "I hope not. I don't think I could compete with you."

Emi and Mai nearly jumped out of their skins at the surprise. Sayuri just returned to a normal sitting position, smirking, "Don't worry. I'm not planning on anything except a little teasing."

Yasuhara returned the smirk, "Good to know," before brushing a quick kiss against Emi's lips just as she was about to scold him A slight blush covered Emi's face, bringing out a giggle from Mai and a grin from Sayuri.

"So what are you doing here, Yasuhara?" Mai questioned, "Didn't you already eat your breakfast?"

Yasuhara nodded, "I just have some interrogation to do."

"Interrogation?" Mai's eyebrows furrowed, "But who are you going to interrogate?"

"I'm guessing it would me," Sayuri comment dryly.

"First place to the girl wearing the blue shirt," Yasuhara cheered before chorusing with the other two, "So?"

"We had a . . ." Sayuri tilted her head, trying to find the right word, "dispute."

"About what?" Emi frowned, "_Sayuri doesn't get mad and Lin doesn't seem like the type to argue either._"

Sayuri laughed with a bitter tinge that made the others wince, "Nothing. That's what. Nothing at all."

"It couldn't have been nothing," Mai coaxed, "What exactly happened?"

"Lin just said me he didn't need me there," Sayuri shrugged, "But his tone was really cold and since I didn't know why, I let my stupid pride get in the way. That made me say some harsh words and stuff, but because of my pride, I couldn't apologize." Sayuri leaned back, closing her eyes, "Basically my fault."

"No, it's not," Mai began, but Sayuri's smile stopped her.

Sayuri stood up, "Thanks, guys. Don't get me wrong. I'm actually pretty happy. I mean, seeing my friends having their wishes come true is the best. And I'm not even lying. I just need some time to myself, but don't worry. I won't be wandering the school so Mr GHER isn't going to get me. Kay, see ya." With one last grin, she waved good-bye as she walked out of the room.

A long silence captured the room as everyone contemplated their own thoughts. "Wait," Emi then interrupted it to ask, "How did you know about this, Osamu?"

"Last night, after I dropped you off, I went back to the base and the atmosphere was really tense," Yasuhara explained, "You could have probably cut it with a spoon. Sayuri just said, 'Good night,' to me and left without any jokes or anything. She didn't even say 'good night' to Lin. On top of that, Lin didn't say a single word the entire time and when I asked, I just got a lethal glare. Putting it all together, I figured out what was going on."

"Argh!" Emi growled, "Okay, that's it. He's dead. Anyone who makes my best friend sad dies by my hand. A slow tortured death."

Mai sweatdropped as she saw the murderous look on Emi's expression, "I don't want to get on your bad side, Emi."

On the other hand . . .

"Aw, Emi-chan~" Yasuhara whined, hugging his girlfriend from behind, "Don't I get protected. Lin-chan glared at me too~"

"Osamu," Emi blushed before looking the way Sayuri had gone, "I guess, I'll wait until she asks for me to kill him . . ."

"I don't know if I should warn Lin or not . . ." Mai grinned.

"Oh yeah!" Yasuhara exclaimed as he remembered something, turning to Mai, "By the way, the reason I came here was because Naru sent me to get you to make tea."

Mai jumped out her seat, "What? ! But that was almost half an hour ago! Naru's going to kill me!"

Mai was still screaming as she ran out to make the tea, Emi and Yasuhara laughing as they ran after her.

**Sorry for making you guys wait. A lot of things came up, including this epic manga 'NG LIFE' that I couldn't put down. XD Also I had to finish my other story which is on FictionPress called 'Dear Death' by HandsomeAngel (I know. So original, right. XP). Well, see ya next chapter~**

**P.S: Bree-chwan, hope you liked it. :D**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Everyone had already gathered in the base when Naru said, "We will be performing the exorcism now." With a collective nod, the group geared up to go to the Willow.

"Wait," Ayako looked around, "Where's Sayuri? I haven't seen her all day except in the morning."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Emi held up her phone, "She just texted me. Says she's waiting beside the White Willow."

"Hey, if she's waiting by the White Willow and that is supposed to be drawing the demon head," Yasuhara pointed out, "isn't it possible that she might get attacked before we get there?"

Masako sighed, "I suppose she did not think of that . . ."

Bou-san groaned, "She really is another Mai . . ."

"Hey" Mai exclaimed, "I take offense to that."

"Um," John voiced, "Shouldn't we be getting to the Willow right now, just in case?"

"John is correct," Naru stood up, "If the demon drains Hoshizuki-san's energy and is unleashed, this case will become much more dangerous and nearly impossible." He turned to Lin, "Go prepare yourself for the exorcism. Bou-san, Yasuhara and John will bring the necessary equipment."

"Aw, come on," Bou-san complained, "We have to exorcise too. Don't you think we need time to prepare?"

"What do I pay for then?" Naru stated, walking out. Lin followed without even a second glance.

"Is it just me or is Lin acting really cold?" Ayako questioned.

"What are you talking about?" Bou-san raised his eyebrow, "He's colder than Frosty the Snowman."

"Yes, but usually he would at least nod to us as thanks before heading out," John noted.

"He's right," Masako agreed, "But I wonder what the reason is . . ."

Mai, Emi and Yasuhara exchanged glances. They knew why. And it gave Emi quite a bit of satisfaction that the distant man was being affected by the argument between him and Sayuri.

On the other hand, Yasuhara took on a more studious emotion of simply amused, "_This could get interesting . . . Mr Jack Frost vs The Girl Who Drives Him Mad . . ._"

Mai watched as both of them smirked, shuddering slightly, realizing that even though both of them were probably thinking different thoughts, both smirks were equally evil, "_These two . . . What kind of couple are they going to become?_"

xxxxxxxxx

"Hey, guys!" Sayuri waved, "I was beginning to worry that Mr GHER was going to get here before you guys."

"Then you should have gotten out of here and to the base," Emi swatted her friend's head.

"Ow!" Sayuri rubbed her head, "But I would have had to send you another text and I was too lazy."

"Honestly, one day, that laziness is going to be the end of you," Emi sighed.

"Just tell her that you were worried, Emi," Mai teased.

"I wasn't worried," Emi denied.

"Aw~" Yasuhara pouted, "I'm getting jealous."

"Don't worry. Emi only has eyes for you," Sayuri reassured.

"If you are done being idiots, I would like to get to work," Naru interrupted them.

"Yes, of course, Your Highness," Mai muttered, though obviously not quietly enough as Naru sent her a glare.

Sayuri laughed before turning to look at them, "Oh yeah, guys. I'm back to the top of the mountain again." With a wink, she walked off towards the Willow.

"What does she mean?" Bou-san questioned the three teenagers.

Mai looked at the others before shrugging with a grin, "Who knows." Emi joined Sayuri below the tree. Bou-san and Ayako looked at each other puzzled, but took their place in front of the girls along with John, ready to perform the exorcism. Lin stood a little to the side, in front of Naru, ready to act. Yasuhara stood a little behind them, taking the notes, but glancing over at Emi nervously, clearly worried. Masako sat beside Mai, both trying to reach out and sense the demon.

"Naru, I don't think it can sense the girls," Masako told the teenage boss.

"Fan out your energy," Naru told the girls.

"Wait . . . How?" Sayuri asked.

"We weren't exactly trained in this," Emi said. Naru just glared at them.

"Righto, fanning it is," Sayuri acceded, Emi nodding in agreement.

Mai glanced at the White Willow, "_I don't know if you can hear me, but Tsukiko-san, please help them. We want to end this._"

As if to answer Mai, Masako gasped.

Naru turned to the medium, "What is it?"

"It appears the Willow is giving out a large amount of spiritual energy," Lin supplied.

Masako looked at the onmyoji, "I suppose your shiki told you this," Lin nodding in answer.

"_Oh my god,_" Mai's eyes widened, "_Tsukiko heard me._"

"I can feel it . . ." Emi whispered, though everyone could hear her in the silence, "It's like something inside me is spreading out . . . Something like . . ."

"Essence," Sayuri voiced, confirming that she felt the same way.

"Then, we are ready," Naru stated, "Now we must wait."

However, they didn't have to wait long as Masako paled, "He's here." Everyone tensed in response.

But they didn't expect the demon head to emerge from the ground only a few feet in front of the Willow, Emi and Sayuri, behind Bou-san, Ayako and John. Immediately they could feel the effects of the demon's negative energy. Emi and Sayuri, already susceptible to its energy, nearly fell to their knees. Mai, having experienced it once, and Masako, a medium sensitive to spiritual energy, felt like they were about to faint. One could see the sheen of sweat on Bou-san, Ayako and John. Even Yasuhara's eyes widened at the feeling.

Naru, on the other hand, didn't hesitate, "Now, Lin." Lin quickly sent a sharp whistle.

The demon head roared as it was stopped from reaching Emi and Sayuri by something only Masako and Lin could see: the shiki. Instantly Bou-san, Ayako and John began their chanting.

". . . On Sara Sara Bazara Hara Kyara Unhatta . . ."

". . . I humbly ask for your assistance . . ."

". . . And there was a word and that word was God . . ."

The scream that pierced the air was horrible, screeching in their ears. Mai pressed her hands against her ears, "_That's awful. It sounds like nails clawing at a chalkboard._" She glanced at the others to see how they were doing. Masako had paled, trying to remain dignified through the painful sound. Emi and Sayuri cried out, plugging their ears, Yasuhara doing the same. Ayako, Bou-san and John gritted their teeth against the offensive noise, but continued their chants. Lin and Naru, on the other hand, appeared as though it didn't affect them. "_It's not even affecting them. They must be used to it from previous exorcisms._"

Mai watched in horror as the demon head seemed to begin to evaporate. Unlike a ghost, a demon has no afterlife. It must be destroyed.

Then, in one final grasp for survival, the demon head charged at the Willow, Emi and Sayuri to attempt to drain the energy emanating for them.

"Emi! Sayuri!" The others cried out.

But Lin appeared in front of them, summoning his shiki to shield them, stopping the demon head's last chance to release itself from the seal as it faded from existence.

And like that, it was over.

Emi and Sayuri collectively fell to their knees, Mai rushing over to see how they were, followed by Yasuhara. Lin glanced at the girls to make sure they were alright before heading over to a still stoic Naru. Bou-san held Ayako up in his arms, both looking exhausted. Similarly drained, John wobbled slightly, only to have someone support him. He turned to see Masako smiling gently at him – a smile which he returned, bringing a slight blush to her face.

"_You have all done so well . . ._" A musical voice drifted into the air, catching their attention as their eyes went to the White Willow to watch a woman's spirit rise from it.

"Tsukiko," Mai recognized the priestess from her dream. She smiled at Mai in response before turning to look at everyone.

"_Thank you for doing what I was not able to do so many years ago. I wish it had not caused so much pain, but that is my burden to bear._"

"No, it's not!" Masako refuted, "We know what happened. There's no way anyone could have killed the one they loved. It's impossible." John squeezed her arm reassuringly.

But Tsukiko simply smiled, "_Thank you, but this is something that I must deal with myself . . ._"

"So are you ready to move on now?" Ayako asked.

Tsukiko shrugged, "_I do not know. But I do know that Haku is somewhere. And I know I will find him. I can feel his presence._"

"So this is 'good-bye', hm," Sayuri spoke softly, "But thank you for helping everyone in your presence. We all needed that." Tsukiko nodded with a gentle smile.

"Wait," Emi looked up at the priestess. "What about the romantic stuff that always happens here? You probably already heard Sayuri's and my theory. Are we right?"

This time, Tsukiko laughed, "_I hadn't expected anyone to connect the dots, but yes, you are correct. Though, the influence of love I tried to bring about did cause you to feel some unexpected emotions and urges._"

Lin remembered with a start, the time when he had wanted to kiss Sayuri, "_I see. So that is why. This tree is right behind the base so the effect must have been strong._" He glanced at Sayuri. Beside her, Emi and Yasuhara had thoughtful expressions. They must have realized that the Willow – or rather, Tsukiko – might have influenced them as well.

The priestess continued, "_However, it only affected those who were already quite attracted to each other – to the point where they would have most likely have ended up together anyways._" Tsukiko glanced at the Willow, "_And it appears that romantic influence has been absorbed into this tree. Hopefully, it will help all those around find love . . . like I did._"

A few moments passed in silence, before Bou-san spoke, "Well, I hope you find Haku."

"And find peace as well," John added.

Tsukiko smiled one last time before fading, her last words floating to us, "_Once again, thank you . . . I hope for your happiness . . ._"

The team looked at the Willow for a few moments longer before collectively deciding to go to the cafeteria to regain their energy.

As everyone walked in the school, Mai stopped, looking back at the Willow. Quietly, she whispered, half to herself and half to the Willow, "You know, it might just be the influence of Tsukiko-san, but I'm really glad that I saw this side of Naru. Thank you, Tsukiko-san . . . and White Willow-san."

**Sorry it took so long to update. I just didn't know how to write the exorcism. Writer's Block, I guess. And a lot of things came up. Thanks for waiting though. (Especially Bree-chan) Well, see ya next chapter~**


	12. Epilogue

Epilogue

"So . . . does this change anything?" Emi asked Yasuhara quietly as to not alert the others. Though the chance of that was slim, seeing as the racket the team was making would have made a bomb sound like a whisper. Masako and Ayako were teasing each other about their love interests, though somehow it had turned into an argument while John and Bou-san watched in confusion. Naru had gone to his room to finish his paperwork. Lin was most likely in the office and Sayuri . . . Where was Sayuri? "_Great . . Just when I need you, you pull a disappearing act . . . I am so pranking you now . . ._" Emi shifted uncomfortably, avoiding her boyfriend's eyes as she waited for his answer.

"Does it?" He returned the question, looking down at the girl sitting beside him, "Do you want to break up?"

"No!" Emi exclaimed, turning to look at him in surprise, "I don't want that. It doesn't really matter to me that Tsukiko-san influenced it. Besides she said that the couples she influenced would have ended up together anyways so . . . I still want to stay together . . . But if you don't . . ." Emi looked away again.

"You silly girl."

Emi looked back up, caught unawares, as Yasuhara took the chance to press a kiss on her lips. "_Eh . . ._"

"Did you really think I was going to let go of the girl of my dreams that easily, sweetheart?" Yasuhara whispered in her ear. He pulled away, smirking as he saw her blushing face, "Don't worry. Even with me in Japan and you in America, you'll still be mine."

"Oi, oi," they heard Bou-san call out, "Shouldn't you keep that stuff private, young'uns?"

Yasuhara winked at Emi before heading over to the monk, "It's alright, my beloved~ I have plenty of love left for you~"

"What? No. Ayako, save me!"

Emi watched as Bou-san went to hide behind an amused Ayako while everyone around them laughed in amusement. "_I really am lucky . . . Wonder how Sayuri's doing though . . ._"

xxxxxxxxx

Lin unplugged all the equipment, getting ready to move everything out. He had already moved a couple of the larger equipment. He was just about to pick up another computer when a voice rung out from the doorway.

"Someone who worked so hard in the exorcism shouldn't be straining themselves without rest." Sayuri had an amused tone to her voice, but in her mind, she was anxious to set things right again so they could go back to speaking terms.

However Lin said nothing.

"I wanted to say thank you for saving my life as well as that of Emi's. I really appreciate it." She shifted uncomfortably, "And sorry about our argument before. I shouldn't have reacted so . . . offensively."

Still nothing, but Sayuri had one more thing to say.

"Oh, and I do like you in a romantic manner. And I know you're not attracted to me so don't worry." She ran her hand through her hair nervously, "I'm telling you this because I don't know when we'll meet again and I'm not one to leave with regrets." She turned around to leave before . . .

"I am."

Sayuri stopped, looking back, "Huh?" Pleased as she was that he spoke to her, she was confused as to what he me.

"I am attracted to you, but the reason these feelings seem so strong is probably because of the White Willow's influence." Lin turned to look at her, meeting her eyes.

She simply smiled, "Perhaps."

Lin smiled faintly before bowing slightly, "I apologize for my harsh words during our argument. I simply became worried over your placing yourself in danger as well as your questioning our right to stop you as friends. I suppose the influence of the White Willow made me a bit . . . over-protective. I ask for your forgiveness."

Sayuri laughed, "Okay, the only one I needed to forgive for that argument was me so don't worry about that." Lin raised his eyebrow disapprovingly, as though he wanted to argue against her blame on herself.  
To which, Sayuri smirked, "I thought we weren't going to argue, Koujo." She reverted back to his first name, hoping that he was okay with that, relieved when he nodded slightly.

"I hope we can remain friends despite the long distance between our countries and our arguments," Lin spoke quietly, as though he was worried as well . . .

Sayuri blinked before walking forward and punching him lightly on the shoulder. He looked at her in surprised before she spoke, "Of course. And seeing as you are Koujo and have already saved my life and all, my loyalty is one of the two things that you will get no matter what"

However Lin can ask about the second, Naru came in.

"Lin, I've already called the others. They'll join you in packing." As though to prove Naru's statement, a groan from Bou-san could be heard from the hallway.

"Alright," Sayuri rolled up her sleeves, "I'll help." She moved to pick up on of the boxes when a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She looked up at Lin.

"No, you won't, Sayuri," Lin frowned sternly, "You'll end up hurting yourself and that's not going to happen on my watch."

Sayuri blushed slightly when she heard the concern in his voice, but she didn't show it as she pouted "But Koujo~"

"No."

"Aw," Sayuri crossed her arms, "Meanie." Lin simply should his head at her childish tendencies.

"Wait a minute . . ." Yasuhara smirked, "'Sayuri'? 'Koujo'? And since when did you guys get so close?"

Sayuri shrugged, "Since the day you got me to stay with Lin while you guys took temperatures and stuff."

"So my evil plan did work?" Emi appeared.

Sayuri sighed, "No, because we are not together."

"Aw," Emi moaned.

"Wait, so we know you for years and we can't call you 'Koujo', but Sayuri knows you for one day and you let her?" Ayako enquired Lin, smirking, "It does seem to imply that you two are very close."

"You never asked," Lin spoke.

Mai turned to Sayuri, "You asked?"

Sayuri shook her head, "Nope, just told him to call me by my first name."

Bou-san grinned at Lin, "Then what exactly happened?"

John laughed nervously, "Everyone, you should leave them to their privacy."

"Yes," Masako agreed from behind the sleeve of her kimono, "It is unseemly."

"Oh really," Ayako challenged the medium.

"Really," Masako returned.

"_Oh boy . . ._" Mai sweat-dropped as an argument broke out once again while the others watched with laughter, "_Things never get dull, do they . . ._'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Two weeks had passed since the SPR team had returned to Japan. Mai sighed. Though only two weeks had passed, she already missed her newfound friends. And unlike their other clients, Mai couldn't just hop on a bus and go see Sayuri and Emi. They were in another country. One that was across an ocean. Yup, not happening.

Other than that, everything was normal. Lin went to his office, though he was slightly more open now. Naru, on the other hand, didn't act differently at all. "_Wonder if I just dreamed what he said . . ._" Clearly her thoughts appeared on her face as a voice entered the office. . .

"Oi, oi, ojou," Bou-san scolded, "No gloomy faces around Daddy, okay." John, Masako, Yasuhara and Ayako followed behind them.

Mai smirked, "Then is Ayako Mommy?" The couple blushed, stuttering protests which rounded into an argument. Mai relaxed into the seat, smiling as she saw John and Masako sit rather close together. She turned to Yasuhara, "So how are you doing?"

Yasuhara shrugged, "We call each other every night or so."

Ayako broke away from the argument, "Aw, that's sweet." She sat down in front of them along with Bou-san.

Yasuhara nodded, "But I am curious about what she said last time."

"What did she say?" Masako asked inquisitively.

"She said that she had a surprise for us here in the office today."

"I don't know if I should be excited or scared," Bou-san muttered. John chuckled at the comment.

"How about both?" They turned to the new voice to see . . .

"Sayuri! Emi!" Mai exclaimed, running to hug them, "What are you guys doing here?"

"We live here," Sayuri dropped the bomb.

"WHAT?" The collective exclamation rang through the office, bringing Lin and Naru out, though only Lin looked surprised while Naru just looked annoyed.

"How many times do I have to tell you all that my office is not a café?" The irate boss raised his eyebrow.

"Emi and Sayuri have moved to Japan," Bou-san explained.

"Yes, I am well-aware that they had been planning the move for quite some time," Naru answered.

"You knew. And you didn't tell us," Mai frowned.

"I had no reason too," Naru replied, "Mrs Thomas told me that she wanted Emi and Sayuri to get comfortable in the presence of those from Japan. It didn't seem to provide a problem so I agreed."

John looked at Lin, "Did you know?" The silent man shook his head.

"Now that's just rude," Ayako placed her hands on her hips. Naru shrugged and returned to his office.

"So where do you live?" Masako inquired.

"Well, actually we have Naru to thank for that," Emi responded, "We asked him if he knew a good place to stay and he said that the lady next door to Mai was moving out so we jumped at the chance."

"So you guys are my new neighbours?" Mai beamed, "Cool."

"Wait, why does Naru know that your neighbour is moving out?" Bou-san asked suspiciously.

Lin answered, "Because Naru drops Mai off at her place every night."

"Really~" Yasuhara gained a teasing glint in his eyes.

Mai rushed to change the subject, "So, Emi, Sayuri, why didn't you tell us that you were moving to Japan?"

The two girls shrugged, replying simultaneously, "We forgot."

"Are you kidding me? !"

Mai sighed, "_Naru's never going to get his peace and quiet, is he . . ._"

xxxxxxxxxx

Sayuri sat in the office, waiting for Lin. Soon after everyone had calmed down and left, Yasuhara and Emi had gone off on a date. Then, it was just Mai and Sayuri, who simply talked about Mai's school, to which Emi and Sayuri were transferring. But soon, Mai's shift ended and Naru took her home. So why is Sayuri still here? Simple. Lin had offered to show her the city after he closed the office, to which Sayuri had agreed.

Sayuri blushed, remembering Emi's teasing about the 'date', "_I am so going to murder her when we get home._"

"Are you ready?"

"Ah!" Sayuri jumped at the unexpected voice. Lin raised his eyebrow at her reaction. "You scared me," Sayuri shrugged and followed him out the door. She was waiting at the bottom of the steps when Lin came behind.

"I apologize for it being so late. I didn't expect there to be so much paperwork." Lin told her.

"Calm down and don't be so formal," Sayuri reassured him, "Besides, at night, we could just walk to any place. Where do you want to go?"

"I do know somewhere you may like," Lin mentioned.

"Then lead the way," Sayuri grinned. And off they went, chatting amiably.

When they reached their destination, Sayuri's breath was taken away. It was a beautiful park. The light of the full moon cover the rich green grass, which glinted softly as it swayed in the wind. But the most beautiful part was the cherry blossom trees huddled together, petals floating the wind as the moonlight hit them just right.

"Oh my god . . ." Sayuri murmured as she approached the cherry blossom trees.

Lin smiled, "I take it you approve of my choice."

But Sayuri didn't reply. Instead, she simply turned around and threw her arms around him, "Thank you . . ."

Lin's eyes widened, surprised, but he returned the hug, taking in her scent, "_I see._"

It took a moment before Sayuri realized what she was doing, blushing slightly, "Oh sorry." She began to pull away, but Lin stopped her by the unexpected.

He kissed her.

He knew he was taking a big chance here. She might not forgive him, but something told him he had to take it. Not that he could do anything, seeing as he had already done it. Though he most definitely wasn't pulling away – not just yet.

But he didn't have to either as Sayuri returned the kiss, shy and unsure. "_So much unlike her usual self_," Lin smirked as he pulled away, taking in her blushing face.

"Okay . . . Um . . . Care to explain?" Sayuri questioned after a moment to regain herself.

"It wasn't the Willow's influence."

"Huh?" Sayuri's eyebrow furrowed in confusion.

"Back when we finished the case, I thought my romantic feelings were due to the influence of Tsukiko-san and the Willow. But even after I got here, they still remained. However it took me until you got here to figure out that these feelings aren't leaving no matter what and they're only mine," Lin smirked wryly, "Though I have no idea about yours."

"Let me get this straight. You kissed me without knowing if I liked you or not?" Sayuri raised her eyebrow.

Lin shrugged unrepentantly, "Risky, but effective. You did kiss me back."

Sayuri blushed before glaring at him, "Mention that again and I'll kick you where the sun don't shine."

Lin's eyebrows shot up in surprise before he began to laugh. Sayuri's eyes widened. She hadn't heard him laugh before, though it was a nice sound. He smirked, "I don't know if I should or shouldn't have expected that."

Sayuri grinned, "I'm a paradox. Either one's okay."

"So, I must ask," Lin meet her curious gaze, "Will you be my girlfriend?"

"Well, here's my answer," Sayuri smiled with a slight blush that seemed to becoming permanent, "Do you remember me telling you that loyalty was one of the two things that you will get no matter what." Lin nodded encouragingly. "Well, the second thing is . . . um . . . how to say this . . . love."

She spoke so quietly that Lin almost didn't hear her . . . almost. And he answered her shyness the only way he could, by pulling her into his arms while silently making the vow to never let her go.

xxxxxxxxxx

The next morning . . . let's just say that if Naru thought he was going to get a break from exclamations of shock . . . he was wrong – finally.

And in the background, unseen by everyone, a woman watched in amusement and joy as she turned to gaze in love for the man she had always waited for under . . . the White Willow.


End file.
